With Love, Spencer
by AthenaJanethePrettyLittleLiar
Summary: Spencer visits Myrtle Beach for a family wedding and finds not only an blank diary but Toby as well. Can she get away from the pressure of A and find her heart once more? She lets her feelings pour out into the journal. Rated T for future chapters.
1. Preface

**Hey All! It's AJ again. So this story is going to be honing in on letters, and writing. And Spoby. Duh ;)**

Preface:

Dear Toby-

There is only one word for a child who loses their parents: Orphan.

Only one word for a person who loses their spouse: Widow.

But there is an endless stream of words that describes a person who losed their first love: Broken. Alone. Hurt. Abandoned. The list is endless.

The things I wish I could say. That's another endless list.

Why does everything have to be so complicated?

And I know writing this is pointless, seeing that I'll never have the heart to let you read it.

But, it gives me some sort of release to know that I am still able to say these words, if not to your face, then to the one in my mind.

I'm so sorry.

I love you.

Maybe, when the world stops trying to pull itself out from under me, we can have a chance.

I pray for that.

-Spencer.


	2. Chapter 1: Day 1

"Hey, Spencer, if you could grab the beach towels, that would be great!" Veronica Hastings yelled to her youngest daughter from the steps.

"Alright!" Spencer called back, promptly lifting the stack of towels from the trunk of their minivan and slamming it shut. She sighed as she breathed in the warm, sandy air of Myrtle Beach, closing her eyes and letting the warm sunlight bask on her skin. In late February, South Carolina was at the perfect temperature – balmy with a calming breeze.

"Come on, Spence, we can't be daydreaming all day!" Her older sister, Melissa leaned out the bedroom window on the second floor of the house. Regretfully, Spencer opened her eyes and started towards the house.

Last month, Spencer's parents had received an invitation to Spencer's aunt Annie's wedding. Spencer remembered opening the envelope and reading the words "BreeAnn Tiffany Jettings and Mitchell Jason Alastor would like to invite their families in celebrating the joining of them in holy matrimony…" along with the date and location.

Because Veronica was Annie's only sister, the bride had insisted on them coming a week early to help with the finishing touches. Spencer's father had gone all out and decided to rent a beach house for two weeks, right on the ocean. It all seemed a bit ostentatious for Spencer, but she knew that the calming beach would most likely help Melissa, who was knee deep in her pregnancy. Plus, it was a chance for all of them to get away from the constricting grip of Rosewood.

Spencer had been nervous about leaving her friends behind, especially when A was most at large, but she thought that protesting would be the opposite of helpful for her case. So she had grudgingly accepted, and a week later was forced to pack up her swimsuit and sandals, shut up in the family's minivan, and drive 607 miles from Rosewood to Myrtle Beach.

Despite the tension between the four friends, Spencer made Aria, Hanna, and Emily promise to keep her updated on the hourly shenanigans that went on back home. During the car ride, Spencer had checked her cell phone so many times it appeared as though she had a twitch. No such texts appeared.

Spencer checked her phone one last time before stuffing it back into her jean pocket and walking up the steps and into the house.

Inside, the house was like what Spencer presumed Heaven would look like. The walls were white, the curtains a mesh light gold, the floorboards tan, and all the furniture a piercing eggshell. There was a large kitchen to the left of the foyer, with sandy taupe counters and wood cabinets. Her mother was already busy unpacking her laptop and work folders onto the desk in the living room, where she knew that more work than play would be occurring. Her father was producing various bottles of scotch from some old Raley's bags and sliding them into the cabinets above the sink. And Spencer just stood there, in the open doorway, towels in hand, wondering how different this would have been if her life were to be normal again.

"Why don't you go unpack your suitcase, Spencer?" Her mother said, nodding her head to Spencer's bag, which sat unopened by the sofa.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure." Spencer nodded, setting down the towels on the sofa and gripping her suitcase, lugging it up the spiral staircase.

At the top, she nearly collided with Melissa, who promptly placed one hand over her baby bump and the other on the railing, gasping.

"God, Spencer! Watch out!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Spencer replied, holding up her hand in surrender. "What happened to keeping the peace?"

Melissa sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she let out another breath. "You're right, you're right. Sorry. My pregnancy is putting me on edge." And with that, she pushed past Spencer, bounding down the steps and calling, "Mom?"

Spencer sighed and rolled her eyes, dragging her suitcase along the carpet to the room in the back. Melissa's Coach bag and luggage were already splayed across the comforter of the first bedroom, so she decided to take the one beside it.

A twin bed was pushed against the far corner, a window on the wall beside it. A walk-in closet branded the left wall and a dresser opposite to it. A single-drawer white side table was pushed up against the open side of the bed, and the same mesh curtains that hung throughout the rest of the house followed suit in the bedroom. She flipped her suitcase onto the bed and unzipped it, pulling out the various pairs of shorts and cardigans from the top and heading for the dresser. When she returned to the bed, she unearthed her philosophy textbook and pulled open the drawer of the nightstand. As she set it inside, her eyes caught a flash of color. Spencer pulled out the drawer further and saw a leather-bound red notebook, with gold-framed pages.

She slid it out of the drawer, replacing it with her textbook, and opened the cover. Nothing. She flipped through the rest of it and found that the entire book was blank.

"Hmmm." Spencer murmured, before shrugging and setting it on top of her textbook and going back to work unpacking.

After a lovely dinner of Chinese takeout, Melissa retreated to her bedroom and her parents buried themselves in their work, leaving Spencer with nothing to do but study.

Oddly enough, nothing seemed interesting. She slammed her book shut and peered out the window, lying on her bed. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the glass pane. Oddly, she thought of Toby. It had only been a little over a month since their breakup, and Toby had continued to pursue her. She wished he wouldn't. But, at the same time, she feared the thought of Toby never again appearing outside her door to no end.

The sound of someone knocking on her open door pulled her from her daydream make her jump like a deer. She whirled around to see Melissa, standing in her doorway with her hand draped over her pregnant belly. "Hey." She said with a small smile.

"Hey." Spencer replied, her voice monotone. "What's up?"

"I just…wanted to know how you were doing. I've been worried about you, you know. With the police and the lawsuit and…Toby…" Melissa trailed off, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Yeah. And Toby." She sighed. "I'm not…I don't really want to talk about that now."

Melissa nodded, "I get it. But…if you miss him, why don't you give him a call?"

Spencer snorted, "As if it would be that simple…" She muttered.

"Why can't it be?"

"You just…don't know what's going on, Melissa. No one does." Spencer said, getting to her feet with frustration and walking over to her dresser, where she braced her hands on the top. "I got_ arrested_. I can't let Toby be put in danger from the people that were framing us."

Melissa was silent.

"Can you…can you please just go?" Spencer asked quietly. "Please?"

Melissa nodded and sighed, standing up and walking behind her to the door. "Goodnight, Spencer." She said gently, before disappearing down the hall.

Spencer huffed out a breath and couldn't stand the cramped atmosphere of the house a second longer.

She grabbed her jacket and headed for the hall, down the stairs, through the foyer, and out the door without giving anyone a heads up.

She stepped out into the breezy Myrtle Beach air and zipped up her jacket.

She didn't get two feet down the street before her thoughts wandered to Toby again. She sighed, thinking of their time together. She wished it could have lasted. Stupid A. Stupid Jenna. Stupid dad. Stupid every outside force that kept them apart.

She veered between two houses and went onto the beach, the sand seeping into her sneakers. She didn't mind. All she could feel was the memory Toby's fingertips on her skin, his feather-light touch that had sent her mind reeling. She shivered at the memory, closing her eyes tight.

_Crack._ A sound behind her made her whirl around the face the house behind her. She gasped. Had A…followed her there? She searched around and found a piece of driftwood, holding it at arms length as she heard the crack of footsteps the back patio of the house. The lights weren't on and it was too dark to see anything but a shadow. Spencer's heart thudded in her chest as she cried out, "Who are you?" She was done running from her fears, but making a dash for it sounded like a very inviting idea.

She heard the sound of a light switch clicking, followed by the flicker of the yellowy lights that shadowed the porch. She squinted to see who it was, then pulled back, unsure if she was going crazy. "_Toby?"_

"Spencer?" Yep. It was him. No one else's voice could make her shudder just by saying her name. His blue eyes watched her curiously while his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question." Spencer replied remaining rooted to her spot. "Didn't know your family was vacationing."

"We aren't." He replied. He looked at though he wanted to come closer, but he stayed on the back patio, beside the set of wicker chairs and coffee table. "My dad and I are renting this house for a little over a week. Jenna and her mom stayed home. We are here for a wedding of – "

"Annie and Mitchell?" Spencer guessed. She squeezed her eyes shut. Of course. Why shouldn't the universe play more tricks and games on her?

"Yeah. I assume…that's why you're here?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets, and Spencer hated that they had to act like this. Like they were strangers. Like he hadn't kissed her so many times, that he hadn't loved her and that she hadn't broken both their hearts.

"Yeah. Annie's my aunt."

"And Mitchell is my dad's best friend from college's son." Toby sighed. "Do you…want to come in? Have something to drink?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Spencer muttered, avoiding his gaze. This was all way too much to handle. And she wouldn't put it past A to go through all this trouble just to create this awkward moment.

"Yeah, you're…probably right." Toby replied, clearing his throat. "Well…I guess I'll see you at the wedding?"

"Yeah. I guess so." She wished she could have said more, but he was already going inside and turning off the lights to the patio.

And then she was alone in the dark.

In so many ways.


	3. Chapter 2: Day 2

2:

The next morning, Spencer awoke with a blinding headache. The hazy memories of the night before clouded through her mind, and she cringed, folding up into a sitting position and grabbing fistfuls of her hair in frustration.

_After she had returned home, her parents were asleep and so was Melissa, the sounds of the beach house exceptionally quiet. Her heart burned at the thought of having the see Toby while she was here, having to see him so broken. It shattered her into even smaller pieces. She hated looking at him on his porch as if they were strangers. Those were the blue eyes that used to gaze into hers with such love that it made her forget everything else in the world. Those were the hands that held hers in times of trouble. Those were the lips that had kissed hers so softly, as if she might bruise._

_ And that was all gone. Thanks to A. Spencer had stumbled into the kitchen and drowsily grabbed for the cupboard, pulling it open and dragging one of her father's half-finished bottle of Jack Daniels out. She didn't feel like looking for a cup, so the cracked it open and sighed, raising the bottle to her lip. She took a deep breath and chugged back a swig. She closed her eyes shut as the harsh liquid burned down her throat. But she wasn't worried about the taste. She needed to forget. She needed the pain to go away. She so desperately ached for a numbness to blur the vision of breaking Toby's heart from her mind. Then, coming to her senses for a moment, she grabbed a cup from the second cabinet and filled it up with sink water, washing down the liquor with it. She continued the pattern, chugging back another gulp, and another, until she couldn't see her fingers clear enough to count how many, followed by a swig of water._

_ Her vision was foggy by the time she felt the last drop scorch her tongue. She gripped the side of the countertop. She felt like she was made of angles that didn't quite fit together. Before she knew what was happening, the empty bottle slid from her grasp and shattered on the floor._

_ She thought she heard herself giggle, but the sound of Melissa's voice drowned out the sound._

_ "Spencer! What the hell are you doing?" Her sister's voice sounded like it was a thousand miles away, and she felt her grip her wrist._

_ "Mmmm…what are you doing?" Spencer slurred._

_ "Oh God, you drank the whole bottle? Spencer, what were you thinking?"_

_ "I just…I needed to…forget…" She tried to say._

_ "Come upstairs, before mom and dad wake up." Melissa said, softer this time, grabbing Spencer's upper arm and dragging her from the kitchen to the staircase._

_ With some effort, Melissa got her drunken sister up the stairs without awakening their parents and half-walked half-dragged her to her bedroom. She pushed Spencer back on the bed and tugged off her shoes. "Ugh, God, Spencer, what the hell would ever possess you to do such a thing?"_

_ "Did Ian really love you, Melissa?" Spencer asked from the bed, her body bent over like a noodle. "Is that why this hurts so bad? When they leave?"_

_ "What are you talking about?" Melissa asked from her dresser, where she was pulling out an old t-shirt for Spencer._

_ "Toby loved me, Melissa." She replied, her voice barely audible through the rough alcohol. She could feel the tears coming fast. "He told me so. And…And I can't say it back. Because I know that if I do…I won't be able to look him in the eye and tell him to leave."_

_ "Oh, Spence." Melissa murmured sympathetically. She set the t-shirt down on top of the dresser and sat beside her little sister, putting an arm around her. "I'm so sorry. I know it hurts. Losing your first love."_

_ "It hurts so much." Spencer's voice hardly carried through the wall of her tears. She sobbed into Melissa's shirt. "I…I just needed…" She couldn't finish. The room was spinning even faster._

_ "What you need is to lie down." Melissa said, pressing down on Spencer's shoulders until she was lying flat against her bed. She pulled the throw blanket at the end of the bed upward, over Spencer. "I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this, Spencer. I'm going to leave this trashcan by the bed, okay?" She said, picking up the wastebasket and setting beside her._

_ But Spencer was already asleep._

_ Melissa thought she heard the word "Toby" slip from her lips._

Spencer groaned at the memory. Was that what she had said? She hoped that she hadn't poured out anything about A.

She froze. A.

Spencer leapt up from her bed – with some difficulty, considering the hangover that was crippling her – and found her cell phone on the dresser.

She rubbed her sore head as she opened the first new text message. It was from Aria, stating that A had been pretty quiet and that the friendships were back to normal. Spencer smiled as she scrolled down to read the rest of the message. Aria went on about how they were keeping A's uncovered cell phone locked away tight until Spencer could return home and help them decide what their next plan of action would be.

"Spencer! Breakfast!" Veronica's voice carried through the floorboards.

"Ugh." The thought of eating sickened Spencer to no end, but she couldn't let her parents know how drunk she had been the night before. She hoped that Melissa would drive her to the closest minimart to purchase a new bottle of Jim Beam to replenish her father's supply, if he hadn't already noticed. She prayed that Melissa hadn't spilled the beans to her mom and dad yet.

As if on cue, Melissa strode through the doorway. "Hey." She smiled softly. "How are you feeling?"

"I've had better." Spencer replied, feeling another pang of soreness in her head, "Did I fall down last night or something?" She asked, rubbing it.

Melissa chuckled under her breath, "No. But you were pretty broken up."

"Yeah. Listen, I'm really sorry about that – "

"Hey, don't worry about it." Melissa replied, waving her hand as if to bat the problem away.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled. "Have you…?" She trailed off.

"Told mom and dad? No." Melissa shook her head. "It wasn't my place to tell them."

Spencer let out a breath of relief. "You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you." She sighed. "You know, Melissa, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." She quoted.

Melissa smiled back. "Well, I certainly hope so. Now," She said, leaning against the doorframe, "we need to get something for that headache of yours. Want a ride to the minimart?"

"I would love that." Spencer replied. "Just let me get my jacket."


	4. Chapter 3: Day 2

3:

After returning home from the minimart and successfully flying under her parents' radar, Spencer sat on her bed with a much duller headache and her mind trained on the textbook in front of her. She sighed, raking her fingers through her hair and trying to rid herself of the last trickles of hangover that plagued her body.

She looked over at her phone, where it sat silently on her side table. "Well, aren't you quiet this week?" She asked. Then it hit her. No texts from A.

She grabbed her phone and flipped through her messages. Nope. The last A text had been two days ago, before she left.

Of course not. How could A have followed her all the way to South Carolina and still be able to keep tabs on the rest of the girls?

Spencer smiled to herself as she looked up and murmured. "I'm free." Well, if only for almost two weeks. But it felt so good to say that, to feel that. It was as if the prison bars had been lifted, and she was peeling off the orange jumpsuit for now.

She felt an overwhelming rush of zeal as she got to her feet, a wide smile still stretched across her face. She was free. She approached the window, pressing her face into and looking at the dirt road below. Her mother's car was backing out of the driveway, and she heard the sound of Melissa calling for her father downstairs. She could finally be normal again. She could hardly remember what it felt like, but the feeling was beautiful. Like she was on top of the world.

She sighed and fell back on her bed. The slight pain in her head brought back the memory of the night before, which released lingering memories of Toby. She sighed and closed her eyes before opening them.

Twelve days. That's all she had.

And Toby was there.

But she couldn't lead him on like that…

Could she?

No.

But she could…talk. She could do what she'd been wanting to do for a month: confide in him. That was one of the things she had missed most – his ability to calm her down, to listen to her. To be the person that understood her outside the realm of her and her friends.

Twelve days. She could let herself be free, with no regrets. And she knew just where to start.

She smiled and opened up the drawer on her nightstand, pulling out the blank journal and grabbing her pen from her bed. She settled down against her pillows and opened up to the first page.  
>And she began with the words <em>Dear Toby<em>,

_Dear Toby,_

_ I know that this is silly, seeing that I'm not actually saying this to your face and you will most likely never ever read this, but it makes me feel better to know that I can say this to someone who cares. Even if you really can't read this, or hear me say it. I know that you would understand._

_ There is so much I wanted to say. And I wish that there were some way I could say it. I know that I said I wanted you to stay away, and I do but…_

_ And the same time…the thought of losing you forever is the most painful thing I can think of._

_ I'm so sorry, Toby. I know I play this off like it doesn't hurt, but it does. So much._

_ Sometimes, I try and think of ways for us to be together in all this mess, but then I realize just how complicated this web is._

_ It's just so complicated, Toby._

_ But you were always the one thing that made sense to me. You always listened to me. You never turned your back, but instead the other cheek and made me feel at home._

_ When I saw you last night…I lost it. It was as if the barrier holding back all my horrible thoughts and all the memories of the pain I've caused for us both broke, and everything came flowing out, burning me._

_ I've been burned so many times. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you got hurt because of me._

_ And I know that I'm just this silly girl whose pouring her heart out to someone who can't even hear her, but I was your silly girl._

_ And that was enough for me._

_With Love,_

_Spencer_


	5. Chapter 4: Day 2

4:

That night, as Spencer finished up her last sip of ginger ale and slipped from the couch unnoticed by her workaholic mother, she headed for the back door. Flipping the latch, she pushed it open and was immediately welcomed by the warm Myrtle Beach breeze. She sighed and breathed it in, stepping out barefoot in the sand. It seeped between her toes, a welcoming heat that made her want to bury herself within.

She peeked back one more time at her mother, who was bent over a stack of work papers, and figured that she wouldn't even notice she was gone. She carefully shut the door behind her and turned back to the beach.

Her high-waist navy sailor shorts and tank top and cardigan would have left her freezing back in Rosewood this time of the year, but the weather in South Carolina was simply beautiful.

She walked slowly to the shore, where the soft sand was overcome with a low tide, and the water slipped around her bare feet, between her toes. She sighed at the tickling cold of the water and closed her eyes. So this is what it felt like to be free. To not let A overpower her. Her phone was so wonderfully silent in her pocket, and for the first time, she didn't fear it being there.

The sound of footsteps behind her startled her from her calm reverie and she whirled around. Her heart skipped a beat.

There he was.

Spencer wondered if this was all a dream, with Toby standing there, just a few feet behind her, his piercing blue eyes trained on her, but then she reminded herself that he was renting a house down the block from her.

She parted her lips to say something, but no words formed. What could she say? That she was finally away from Rosewood, and that she wanted him back, but only until they returned? That after Rosewood had a hold on them once more that she would leave again?

For what felt like an eternity, they stood there, saying absolutely nothing but communicating in this unspoken way they had. Toby was the first to break the silence.

"Hi." He said softly, his voice hardly carrying over the rush of the tide. A soft smile lit his face.

In Spencer's mind things would have gone so differently. She would have ran to him, threw her arms around him and whisper for him to never let her go.

But, sadly, even if she was free, she had a debt to pay. She had taken a knife to their relationship, severing the bonds and screwing up the connection. Could she even trust herself to say the right words?

It hurt to think of how distant they had become. A few months ago, Spencer could have said whatever thought that came to her mind to him, without fear of judgment. Now, it felt as though she was under a microscope, at the risk of having her words picked apart by tweezers. She was on such a thin line as it was; she couldn't afford to take a step out of turn, to go against the playbook. She might be away from Rosewood, but A was still refereeing this game.

There were so many things she could have said. She could have told him how sorry she was. She could have stopped this in its tracks before it got out of hand. She could say nothing at all, but instead storm home and lock the door tight behind her.

But, instead, she settled on "Hello."


	6. Chapter 5: Day 2

5:

After the words passed Spencer's lips, they hung in the air for a moment, condensing the air around them. Toby was once again the first to speak.

"It's pretty out here, huh?" He said, his eyes turning to gaze at the rushing waves beneath the navy sky.

"Yeah." Spencer replied lamely.

He cautiously took a few steps forward, until he was beside her, only a few feet away. Her breath caught a bit but she smoothened it, trying her best to keep her cool.

"How are you?" Toby asked. His hands were stuffed into his zip-up hoodie's pockets, and underneath he wore a soft blue t-shirt. She remembered when she used to ask him to wear blue more often, to compliment his eyes. She blushed at the thought of him thinking of that now, applying it to his wardrobe even after the hell they'd gone through.

"You know what? I'm pretty good." Spencer replied with a soft smile. "It feels good to be away from Rsoewood."

"And away from…certain problems?" Toby asked. She looked up at him, and it was obvious what he was implying.

"You know that's not what I meant." She said softly.

"Then what did you mean?" He asked, his gaze flicking on her face. His eyes bore into hers, giving her that fluttering feeling that she knew too well. She shook her head as if to chase the hormones away.

Spencer cleared her throat. "I meant that I don't have to worry about the town's eyes beating down on me. Don't forget that I spent the last few weeks in an orange jumpsuit, stabbing trash with a stick."

"And having fights with your best friends." Toby said almost inaudibly.

Spencer sighed. It had all been a trap for A, those fights. She wished she could have said that, but she couldn't give anything away without letting information about A flow past her lips.

"Yeah." She said silently. "But everything is back to normal now."

"I'm glad." And he sounded like he was. Her eyes sparked upward from their fix on her sandy toes and found his baby blues watching her once more.

"What?" She asked with a half-smirk on her face. "Is there sand in my hair?"

Toby chuckled softly. "I think that you forget that we weren't always like this."

"No. I couldn't forget that." Spencer replied in a whisper, before she even knew the words had come out. All the spunk drained from her face, leaving it smooth and filled with the emotion that was drowning her head.

Toby sighed and looked at the stars again. "Do you think that it's fate that we both ended up here in the same place this week? All alone, without Rosewood to hold us down?"

Maybe. Spencer had thought about it that way. "I don't know." She said carefully. "Do you?"

"Perhaps." Toby answered. "But I can't keep pushing if your walls are so thick. I'll keep trying, but there's no guarantee that I'll ever get through."

Spencer bit her lip and sighed, knowing that he deserved better. She wished that there were someway that she could, in fact, let her guard down, but it didn't seem possible anymore.

She opened her mouth to reply, but a loud shriek pierced the air around them, stopping her words in their tracks.

"Spencer?" Melissa's voice rang out from behind them.

Spencer's head snapped around. It was dark and shadowy in the night air, but she could see the outline of a figure standing in the doorway of the house.

"Uhm, sorry, I…I guess I have to go." Spencer said regretfully. "Sorry." She said.

"It's okay." Toby murmured back.

She wished so much that she could stay, but Melissa yelled for her again, and she squeezed her eyes shut with regret as she groaned and began stomping towards the house.

"Spencer, wait!" Toby called to her. She whirled around to see him standing in the same spot, but facing her.

"Can I…can I see you tomorrow?" He asked. "Just for a little while?"

Twelve days. She felt her pulse thud beneath her wrist and time froze as he awaited her answer.

"Yes." She said finally. "I…I'd like that."

A smile lit Toby's face and it almost broke her heart to see it. It made her want to run into his arms and never let him go again.

"Me too." He responded.

"Spencer?" Melissa bellowed once more and Spencer groaned.

"I am coming!" She shouted back and plodded back to the house.

"What are you doing?" Melissa demanded when Spencer arrived in the doorway, pushing past her baby bump and into the house, jaw clenched with frustration "Spencer? Answer me. You know better than to go out in the dark with some stranger! And last night you were all heartbroken over Toby! Why would you do something that stupid, Spencer? Spencer!"

Spencer let out an annoyed breath and turned back to her sister, who was following her up to the kitchen. "Because, Melissa, that _was_ Toby." She retorted.

"What?" Melissa asked, taken aback.

"Yeah. Turns out his dad knows the groom." Spencer said, fishing an unopened can of ginger ale from the fridge and popping it open.

"Really? It didn't look like Toby. But then again, it was too dark to see anyone." Melissa shrugged. She looked up at her. "Sorry, Spence."

"It's okay. You probably saved me. I mean, it's not like I'm getting back together with him." Spencer braced her palms on the side of the sink, leaning over it.

"Why not? You said it yourself last night, Spencer. You love him."

"Yeah, well, that was drunk Spencer talking." It burned her throat to deny her words, but it was the best excuse she had. "And, besides, I told you yesterday. Things are just too complicated for us to go back to the way we were."

"Well, that was in Rosewood. This is South Carolina. Anything can happen." Melissa said with a soft smile.

Spencer's lips parted and sighed, chugging back a swig of ginger ale.

"Look, I'm not saying for you to create a _Walk to Remember_ story here, but…you know, you have twelve days. A lot can happen in twelve days."

"I know." She said.

"Well, I'm going to bed. 'Night, sis." Melissa said, heading for the staircase.

"'Night." Spencer replied robotically, her thoughts still on what Melissa had said.

Twelve days. She could make it work in twelve days.


	7. Chapter 6: Day 3

6:

By seven in the morning, Spencer had already ran and made herself toast for breakfast. She sat at the kitchen table, sucking orange juice through a straw and flipping through her Russian History textbook, ankles crossed beneath her chair.

"Morning." Melissa smiled as she sauntered into the kitchen.

"How did you sleep?" Spencer asked.

"Fine, thanks." Her sister replied as she opened the fridge and retrieved the carton of milk. She looked at Spencer a little longer than usual. "Hang on."

"What?" Spencer asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You look really cute today. Silk red top, pencil skirt…and are those diamond earrings, Spence? Oh my gosh, you are going to see Toby today, aren't you?" Melissa smiled. "You took my advice after all."

"Who said I was dressing up for Toby?" Spencer felt her cheeks inflame.

"Well, let me think: your ex-boyfriend is in the same tropical neighborhood you're in for the next eleven days, you two have hardly spoken, and you are meeting him today. Gee, I don't know where I get these theories." Her voice dripped sarcasm.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." Spencer insisted, flipping the page in her textbook a little more forcefully than normal.

Melissa chuckled under her breath and sighed. "Where are mom and dad?"

"Out shopping. Mom wanted to get a gift for Annie before the wedding next week."

"So, we have five days until the wedding, but we aren't leaving until six days later. Why?" Melissa asked.

"Mom said something about wanting to help grandma with planning the after party for when they return from their honeymoon. She's going to throw it back in Annie's apartment in Philadelphia. And I really don't think we are in any rush to pack on up and scurry back to Rosewood." Spencer replied, tapping her pencil against the page.

"Yeah, I'm not either. It feels as though we've been in hot water since Alison's body was found."

Spencer snorted. "Tell me about it."

"Alright, well I'm off to take a shower." Melissa said, finishing the last sip of milk and setting the cup in the sink.

"Have fun." Spencer responded.

When she heard the last trickles of Melissa's footsteps down the hall above her, the doorbell rang. Spencer's eyes snapped up to the foyer, and the door seemed like a million miles away.

She set down her pencil and got to her feet, heading out of the kitchen and towards the door. She reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly, before pulling the door open.

Toby stood in the doorway, looking as perfect as ever with his unguarded blue eyes and beat up jeans. He wore a faded green t-shirt underneath his windbreaker and was holding a newspaper.

"Hi." Spencer could feel the smile spreading across her face before she could even think of stopping it.

"Hi. I thought that your mom might to read up on the current events of Myrtle Beach." Toby smiled back, extending the folded paper to her.

"Thanks." She said, taking it and setting it down on the table beside the door, next to a pile of her mother's work papers. "I'm sure she'd love it."

"So, do you want to…go for a walk? Or go to the beach? Where do you think it would be best to talk?" Toby asked.

Spencer felt a bit uneasy as she sighed and nodded. "Uhm, is there someplace that we can drive to?" She wanted to be out of any possible earshot of A if she was going to do this right.

Toby's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Uh, sure, I guess. I brought my truck, so we can drive to…the little movie theater a few miles down the road?"

"What are they playing?" Spencer inquired.

Toby chuckled, "I thought that this was for us to talk."

"It is. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the movie beforehand." She said with a smile.

"Alright, you got me there. I guess that one day, when you're a big shot lawyer, I'll call you whenever I get into trouble."

"Are you saying that I'm a _good_ _arguer_?" Spencer asked, incredulous but still smiling.

"Oh, of course not. I'm saying that you're the _best_."

* * *

><p>Once they had reached Toby's beach house, Spencer spotted the familiar tan truck in the driveway and felt a well-known pang of guilt and sadness. So many of their memories were suspended within that truck. She tried to make her brave face stay, but it was fading faster by the minute. Toby rounded her side of the truck and opened the door for her, like he had done before, oh so many times. She smiled weakly and slid into the car. The recognizable smell of leather, pine needles, coffee, and sawdust welcomed her, and another blow was taken to her thick wall of security. She took a few deep breaths as Toby headed around the truck to the driver's side, opening the door and sliding onto the seat. He stuck the key in the ignition.<p>

"So, how have you been?" Toby recited his favorite question as they backed out of the driveway. "In Myrtle Beach, I mean."

"Really good." Spencer answered honestly. "Melissa and I have been surprisingly amicable towards each other."

"I'm glad to hear it. You deserve compassion, Spence." Toby replied. His gaze fell on her the second that her eyes snapped up to meet his. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the dirt road in front of them.

"Thank you." Spencer said finally, and Toby nodded.

"So, it's seems as though you've been here before." Spencer continued, peering casually out her window.

"Oh yeah. Every summer between the ages of zero and thirteen." Toby said with a smile.

Spencer opened her mouth to ask why they had stopped after he was thirteen, but the answer hit her: his mom dying.

"So, you've been to this movie theater, then?"

"Way too many times. My dad and I used to see the old black and white movies that played on the weekends. They don't usually play new movies, only old ones anywhere from the 1950s to 2005. But they hardly ever go newer than that."

"I love old movies." Spencer replied.

"I know." Toby's voice said softly, and it sent chills down Spencer's spine.

This almost felt like old times, except for it was now extremely awkward and full of longing and Spencer had to worry about what she said, which she really never had to do before with Toby.

"I remember what your favorite movie is." Toby continued.

"And what is it?" Spencer tested, the smile returning to her face once more.

"_Titanic_. Obviously." Toby replied, casting her a smile. "And I remember that you cry every time."

I hurt when he said that he "remembered". Remembering required that it be in the past, no longer the present. And it pained her to think of what they had as a thing of history. But, nevertheless, she nodded. "I know. It's true."

"I used to think that seeing someone being taken away from someone would break you the first time, but you would than be numb to the pain and seeing it any other time would no longer be poignant. Not anymore." It sounded as though he was speaking to only himself. "It hurts, every time. I'll never criticize you again."

Spencer knew that they were no longer talking about _Titanic_. And he was right. It hurt every single time she saw him, like someone was rubbing salt into a still open wound.

She cleared her throat and looked out the window once more. The next few minutes of driving were in silence.

Once they arrived, Toby parked the car in front of the theater. It was a large, sandy colored building with old-fashioned architecture and a single ticket booth. Spencer opened her door and got out, peering up at it.

"This is pretty cool." She told Toby as he shut his door.

"Yeah." He agreed, coming to stand beside her in front of the truck, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's nice. I haven't been here in forever."

"Having flashbacks?" Spencer teased.

"Yep." Toby said, and Spencer thought he heard him mumble. "Not of the movies, though."

Spencer let out a breath and sighed. This was going to be very interesting.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Spencer was opening the door to the theater, a soda in hand, followed by Toby, who was heavy-laden with popcorn.<p>

"Where do you want to sit?" Spencer felt Toby's face at her shoulder, his soft breath in her ear, and shuddered. He probably didn't even realize how hard this was for her. She had most likely convinced them that there was nothing else romantic going on between them.

Spencer snorted at the possibility of that even being possible.

"Uhm, there?" Spencer asked, pointing to an empty pair of seats in the back. The theater had hardly ten people in it, and the beginning previews were starting.

"So, did you plan this?" Spencer whispered as she and Toby dropped into the vacant seats.

"Why would you think that?" Toby murmured back, sliding a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

"Because you know that _A Walk to Remember _is one of my favorite movies. And I happed to know that you hate romance movies. So what gives?"

"I did not plan this." Toby disagreed and Spencer could see the outline of his smile in the pale light the movie screen projected. "But why look a gift horse in the mouth? I'm glad that I got the chance to take you to see one of your favorite movies."

"But you don't like it."

"That's irrelevant."

"Why?"

"Because caring about someone entitles doing things that you don't like for the sake of them being happy."

And that shut Spencer up. She knew that he wasn't implying it, but it didn't stop her from thinking it: Spencer did nothing to make Toby happy. Toby let her distance herself from him, convinced it was what she wanted, and all Spencer did in return was push him away further. Toby put her contentment first.

She had put his safety first, but it still pained her to think of how unhappy it made them. Isn't that what happiness was? Risking everything to obtain something solid and durable in life?

The movie began and it ripped Spencer from her thought process. She turned to the screen, fixing her eyes on it as the first scene rolled.

Throughout the first half of the movie, Spencer was painfully aware of the proximity of Toby's body next to her. He offered her popcorn a few times but she shook her head.

Spencer mind wandered a bit. Her daydreams clouded her mind, corrupting her thoughts. They started out innocent, remembering the time when Toby had first kissed her, but they slowly was stained with darkness. The hateful words she had spat at him echoed through her head. All their bickering… Spencer wondered how Toby could just sit there contently after all that had happened. Finally, her thoughts went overboard, and suddenly, it was no longer Landon and Jamie on the screen, but Toby and herself.

"_You don't know what you want." _Jamie-Spencer said

"_Neither do you. Maybe you're just too scared that someone might actually want to be with you….No, no, you know the real reason why you're scared? It's cause you wanna be with me too." _Landon-Toby told her.

And he was right. Even though it was physiologically crazy that Toby was speaking Landon's words, the truth burned beneath them. She was scared. She was so scared of the risk that she would have to take to be with Toby. The risk of both of their safety, the risk of having to put Toby's happiness before their wellbeing. Spencer's mind was reeling. She shook her head as if to chase the thoughts away and gulped down some coke.

The next half hour went smoothly, until a rather distressing scene presented itself, sending Spencer's mind back to its dark place.

"_I - I didn't want anybody to be weird around me." _Jamie-Spencer shouted. It was like she was looking in a mirror, a perfect image of herself on the screen, speaking the words in place of the character.

" _Including me?"_ Landon-Toby shot back. The familiar heartbroken look condensed his blue eyes.

"_Especially you!"_ And that was exactly the excuse she had. She had pretended that her life was different, played around with the thought that she could be a normal teenager, in love with a boy. And when the time came that her burden became to heavy for them to support, it was the only justification she had.

Toby deserved the truth. She could see it then, in plain black-and-white. The reality of what she was doing. What she had been doing for so long. Toby's heart was too valuable to by played around with.

And he had been right, that night in her house, when they had had their first real fight. She was exactly like Alison. Letting someone become irrevocably in love with her, without her giving anything back. She had allowed Toby to adore her above everything, and she couldn't even tell him that she loved him back for fear of the unknown.

Suddenly, those eleven days left meant nothing. They were valueless, completely worthless if it meant having to go back to Rosewood.

She supposed that Toby could try to move on again, if it meant him thinking that it was what made her happy.

The problem was, Spencer didn't think that she could walk away from him again, leaving him with nothing but unanswered questions and a broken heart.

Her mind spun. Spencer knew what she had to do. "I can't do this." She muttered, getting to her feet.

"Spencer?" Toby asked beside her. He caught her hand. "What do you mean? Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry." Spencer said, feeling the tears begin to prick her eyes. "But I'm _tired_ of lying to myself, Toby. I just…I can't do this again. I'm sorry."

"Spencer, please – "

"No, Toby." Spencer interrupted, "If you ever loved me at all, please just let me go." She said. She needed to get out of there before she lost all control.

The words sank into Toby like a vampire bite. His face became blank and expressionless as his hand slowly dropped her wrist.

"I'm sorry." She whispered one last time before backing out of the row of seats and dashing for the door, pushing it open and leaving Toby, still standing, in the back of the theater.

Spencer gasped as she burst through the double doors from the lobby and outside.

She took a few deep breaths as she stepped aimlessly onto the pavement before a sob overcame her and the tears came, overflowing and sliding down her cheeks as she gasped for breath. One hand gripped her hair at the top of her head and the other shakily fished her cell phone out of the pocket of her sweater. She numbly dialed a number and hit the call button.

"Hello?" Her sister answered on the second ring.

"Melissa?" Spencer asked, her voice thick with tears. "Can you please come get me? I'm…I'm outside the theater down the street."

"Are you alright?" Melissa sounded concerned.

Spencer shook her head. "No." She replied, her voice hardly audible.

"Aw, Spence. It's okay, just…take a deep breath. I'm on my way."


	8. Chapter 7: Day 3

7:

"_If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, then I'll follow you into the dark…"_

"Can you turn that down?" Spencer muttered, her forehead resting on her hand.

Melissa nodded, turning the radio down so that the song was merely a low rumble. Every song that had been playing since they entered the kitchen had been nothing but those angsty sad songs that plagued the human race of today.

It had been about three hours since Melissa had picked up a tear-soaked Spencer from the movies and drove her home, only to have her race upstairs and collapse beneath her covers, drowning in her own sick mistakes. It had taken her a while to come downstairs, to find Melissa waiting patiently for her at the kitchen table. Her parents were still out making wedding preparations, leaving their daughters to fend for themselves. When Melissa had asked Spencer if she wanted any dinner, Spencer had merely shook her head.

Now, Melissa sighed, moving towards the table, two coffee cups in hand. She handed one to Spencer. "Are you okay?" She asked softly.

Spencer shook her head. "I'm a monster." She muttered, accepting her coffee cup and avoiding Melissa's gaze.

"Don't say that. It isn't true." Her sister reached out to stroke her hair, but Spencer smacked her hand away.

"Yes it is!" She shouted, jumping to her feet and slamming her coffee cup down on the table.

"Spence, calm down." Melissa said soothingly, looking up at her with empathy in her eyes.

"I can't calm down, Melissa!" Spencer exclaimed, the filter between her thought and her mouth bursting open, letting everything flow through. "I just left the only guy I've ever loved by himself because he deserves someone so much better than me, because I can't tell him the truth about anything, and I've been going through so much _shit_ just for knowing Alison, and all I've done in the past few months is get in trouble, and all dad sees when he looks at me is some insecure glutton for drama, and every answer I think I have right just leads me to another dead end, and I didn't tell Toby how much he meant to me when I had the chance." The tears were choking her again and she collapsed in the chair once more, burrowing her face in her knees and crying again, her whole body shaking.

She felt Melissa's steady hand rest on her shoulder, followed by an arm around her. "Shh…Spence. It's okay." She cooed softly over and over as she let her sister cry.

"All that time…I only cried once." Spencer said, each word puffing out between sobs and she tried to speak. "I always held it in. But…I can't anymore. It hurts so badly. All of it."

"Shh, I know, Spencer, I know. But you know what?" Melissa lifted Spencer's face to turn her to face her, "It gets better. I promise."

"When?" Spencer sniffed, scrubbing the tears from her face with the inside of her wrist.

"It takes a while, but I promise."

"I'm always so scared, Melissa." Spencer said, her throat thick as she struggled to speak without bawling. "When does that stop?" She whispered.

Melissa sighed. "I don't know. I'm so sorry Spencer. But you know what? I know I haven't been there for you before, but I'm here now. You aren't alone."

"Yes, I am." Spencer murmured to herself softly, her eyes glassy. Her gaze was aimlessly on her feet, her mind far away. "Anywhere that…he isn't with me…I'm alone." The words came out with her breath, so soft that she herself could barely hear them. But they were true.

And she succumbed to her tears as her and Melissa sat alone in the middle of the dimly lit kitchen, the low sound of the radio playing statically around them.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after Melissa had made sure she was safe in bed, her tears mostly under control, Spencer lay beneath the covers, her eyes staring up a the ceiling.<p>

Her phone was still silent, but it was the least of her worries.

She numbly reached over to flick on her lightswitch and then pulled open the bedside table drawer. She slid the leather-bound journal out and a pen, opening up to the second available page.

And she began to write.

And, once again, she began with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_ I'm so sorry about today._

_ I'm not proud of it._

_ You know, it feels like my life has just become a long list of things I'm not proud of._

_ But I am proud of one thing._

_ And that's letting myself trust you that day, when I came to tutor you._

_ It could be the best decision I've ever made._

_ And I know that I'll go down in history as Spencer Hastings, the brainiac who found the cure for cancer, or became the first woman president or whatever._

_ But all I really want right now is to be remembered in your mind as someone who loved you. More than she ever loved anything, ever._

_ And I'll forever hate myself for being so bad at showing it._

_ Maybe, one day, you'll forgive me for that._

_ And maybe it will be the same time that I forgive myself._

_ And I know that you'll probably never read this, because I will never gain the heart to let you, but the fact that I can say it – or write it – makes me feel better. Just a little bit._

_ You see, Toby, I'm a damned soul, cursed to live a life of shallow lies. Sometimes I wonder if even you could be strong enough to pull me out._

_ I've made so, so many mistakes, Toby. Every step I take is a step out of line._

_ Even if everything changes and my whole life turns around, I'm not sure I could forget all the wrongs I've done._

_ Again, I'm so sorry about what happened today. I wish that I could say that I wish I hadn't gone in the first place. But I can't. Seeing you, even if it burned with the memories of what could have been, was worth the pain._

_ I'm such a monster. So selfish._

_ And I wish I could say that I want you to move on, but that would be just a blatant lie._

_ Another selfish feeling._

_ It's sick what I was doing. Leading you on like I could make this all work out just because we are in Myrtle Beach for the next two weeks, away from Rosewood. But this isn't a fairy tale. Girls don't get to meet their prince charming on the dance floor and fall utterly in love. Instead, the clock is always striking midnight. I'm always running away._

_ Because, when we return to Rosewood, my life will return it's shambled form._

_ And no amounts of "I love yous" from me can change that._

_ But I'll say it anyway._

_ I love you._

_ And I'm so, so sorry._

_ You just need to know that._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

__**Okay, guys, I've been noticing a lot of incredulous reviews, and please just let me redeem myself! I'm sorry but every story needs a stress factor! I'm sorry! :( I PROMISE it'll get better. Trust me! I have it all mapped out it my head! :) The next chapter will be good! I'm sorry for another sad one, but I felt the need to stress Spencer's pain, since she hasn't really in the show... :/**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	9. Chapter 8: Day 4

8:

The sound of a Skype call ringing awoke Spencer. She blinked a few times and sat up, rubbing away the tears that stuck to her face from the previous night.

"Mmmmm…" She groaned. "Who the hell wants me at eight in the morning?" She exclaimed, to herself, rolling out of bed and finding her open laptop on top of the dresser, hitting the track pad of her laptop with her fingertips. The screen glowed to life and she spotted the little window of the video call. She groaned as she read the screenname: Hanna_Banana13.

She clicked on the ACCEPT button and a portal of Hanna's face popped up. "Hey Spence!" She smiled, but her face was immediately overcome with disgust. "Oh my God! Jeez, did you get trampled by a heard of cows? Or were you just drunk?" She asked, taking in Spencer's haggard morning appearance. Of course, Hanna looked perfect; her blonde hair curled and her makeup flawless. She could see her bedroom walls in the background.

"No." Spencer snapped, rolling her eyes, "That was two nights ago." She sighed.

"What?" Hanna asked, leaning closer into the camera. "I was only kidding! Spencer Hastings was drunk?" She asked in disbelief. "Alright, give me all the deets. Was there some hot nightclub in Myrtle Beach? Some hottie bought you a drink or two…? Oooh, Spencer Hastings, you've got some 'splainin to do!"

"Alright, alright!" Spencer exclaimed, holding up her hands in defeat. "No, there was no nightclub. There was no new "hottie" who bought be a drink. It was me finishing my dad's bottle of Jack Daniels in the kitchen, alone, and then being overcome with tears. Turns out I'm not a happy drunk. I'm a morbid drunk."

"That's it?" Hanna looked majorly disappointed. "Damn. I was hoping for something juicy and hot."

"Ew, Han, don't paint me a picture." Spencer said. She was surprised by how much better she was feeling in the morning. A gray cloud still hung over her, but a few beams of sunlight had broken through.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to keep hoping. But anyway, how's Myrtle Beach?"

"It's – " Spencer opened her mouth to answer, but her laptop dinged.

"Oh, look, Aria wants to join our chat!" Hanna said, accepting the request from "Feathered_Conscience." Spencer always thought Aria's screenname was unnaturally too creative. "Trying to hard" as Melissa would say.

"Hey guys." Aria's smiling face appeared on the screen as another chat window opened beside Hanna's.

"Hey." Hanna smiled. "Good news: Spence finally drank something beside's ice tea and coffee." She said the same time Spencer snapped grouchily, "Hey, this is a first – a Saturday without Fitz!"

Aria's brown eyes opened wide and she gasped. "What? Spencer! What happened?"

Spencer groaned. "Will you guys please stop making this a big deal? Yes, I finished a whole bottle of Jack Daniels in my parents' kitchen the other night. Can we please move on?"

"Fine." Aria said. "But can I ask one thing? Why did you do it? I just want to know!"

"Yeah, why did you do it, Spence?" Hanna asked, arching an eyebrow.

Spencer took a deep breath and began, "I did it because – "

But she was once again interrupted. The sound of the door slamming downstairs in the background of Hanna's house cut her off.

"Oh, Em's back from her run! Hold on a sec, Spence. Wait for her to get here."

Spencer groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Han?" Emily's voice came from downstairs in the Marin house.

"Up here, Em! Come on up – Spencer and Aria are on Skype!"

"Really?"

Within a few seconds, Emily came into view, falling onto her stomach on the bed beside Hanna.

"Ew, Em, you're all sweaty." Hanna said, taking in Emily's hair plastered to her face and the dark, wet spots on her tank.

Emily gave her an annoyed look before turning to the camera, "Hey, Spence! How's South Carolina? Ooh, eek! I think we just woke you up."

Spence was once again interrupted. "Spencer got drunk the other night." Hanna said.

"Spencer downed a whole bottle of Jack Daniels the other night." Aria said at the same time.

"What?" Emily's eyes got as wide as saucers as she looked at Spencer thought the camera. "Spencer! How? Why?"

"I'm getting to that!" Spencer growled, "And if you would all just please be quiet, I will explain everything."

"Alright. We're all ears." Aria said.

"Well, first of all, Myrtle Beach itself is beautiful. The house is nice and Melissa and I are getting along. On the other hand, it's the worst experience in the entire world."

"Why?" All three girls asked at the same time.

"Because." Spencer sighed and closed her eyes, "Toby's here, too."

"What?" Hanna, Aria, and Emily chorused simultaneously again.

"Toby? As in Toby _Cavanaugh?_ As in your ex boyfriend that A made you break up with?"

"Hanna!" Emily and Aria scolded. Emily wacked her upside the head.

"What? It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Spencer said miserably. She sighed, "And yes, I mean Toby Cavanaugh. The only Toby we know."

"He didn't tell me that he was leaving." Emily's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah well, me neither. Which, I guess shouldn't surprise me, since we are kind of messed up right now." Spencer's eyes fell on her hands, resting on her laptop keys.

"Well, what happened?" Aria asked. "When did you find out he was there?"

"I was going for a walk the first night behind the line of houses and Toby was on his back porch. Apparently his dad is a friend of the groom and they are renting a house a few down from ours."

"Well, did you talk?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah. We did. And it was really awkward." Spencer said honestly.

"Have you seen him since?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. I was on the beach two nights ago and he…he came out of his house and found me."

"And you talked then?"

"No, Hanna, I stood there like a scarecrow and didn't utter a word." Spencer's voice was soaked with sarcasm.

"Well, I'm just wondering!" Hanna exclaimed, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Anyway, so he asked if he could see me the next day, and I thought that, seeing that A wouldn't be keeping tabs on me while I was away, that I could let him. And God, that was stupid."

"So did you cancel?" Aria asked.

"No. Worse. I went to see a movie with him. And then I _left_ half-way through." Spencer's body filled with self-hate all over again.

"What?" Three pairs of eyes centered in on her like she had just dropped from space.

"Will you stop saying 'what'?" Spencer threw her hands down in exasperation. "I know it was stupid, but if you could only see what I saw…I saw the only guy who had ever fully loved me, willing to give up everything for me to be happy, and then there I was, taking it all from him and still lying to his face." Spencer sighed. "I'm just like Ali, guys." She whispered.

"No, Spencer. You may feel bad, but you _are not_ like Alison." Emily disagreed.

"Yeah. It's not your fault that you can't tell Toby the truth. You're keeping him from ending up like Dr. Sullivan by lying."

"But that's the point!" Spencer gripped fistfuls of her hair. "I'm leading him on like we have a chance, and A made it perfectly clear that we don't!"

"Maybe, but I understand, Spence." Aria said empathetically. "If you love someone…you just can't stay away."

Spencer nodded and sighed. She heard the sound of pricking on her window, steadily picking up by the minute. Rain.

"Wow. As if my morning wasn't gloomy enough." Spencer muttered. She sighed. "Alright guys, I should probably get in the shower. Just text me if there's any update on A's tomfoolery."

Hanna snickered. "Tomfoolery?"

"Shut up, Hanna." Spencer laughed a little and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, talk to you later, Spence. But…if you need anything, just call me, okay? I've been there. I know what it's like." Aria said.

Spencer smiled weakly. "Thanks Aria."

"Me too. You can call me, too." Emily said, nodding.

"Thanks."

Aria and Emily looked at Hanna expectantly. "What?" Hanna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emily flicked her in the head. "Alright! And me too! You already know that!" Hanna said.

Spencer laughed, in spite of herself. "Thanks, you guys. Alright, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Spence." They all waved goodbye as she clicked the END CALL button. She shut her laptop and set it down on her unmade bed, getting to her feet and stretching. She shuffled to her bathroom and ran the hot water in the sink, splashing some on her face to clean off the dried tears and smeared mascara. Once her face was clean and completely bare of outside substances, she grabbed her toothbrush and started scrubbing away her awful morning breath.

The house was completely silent except for the sound of running water and harsh rainfall, so the sound of someone knocking on the door made Spencer jump like a deer.

"Spencer? Can you get that, please?" Her father's voice rang out from somewhere down the upstairs hall, "Your mother and Melissa went shopping, and I'm in the middle of my work."

"Alright." Spencer replied dutifully, yet a tad bit resentfully. She sighed and quickly scraped a hairbrush through the worst of their snarls in her brown waves, before setting down the brush and heading downstairs to the foyer. Oddly enough, she thought nothing of their visitor, probably just her aunt stopping by to see her, to hug her tight and say how "tall she'd gotten."

So, it surprised her when she opened the door and saw not the face of her aunt, or any face at all, but Toby's back to her, standing in the rain, halfway down the dirt path to the driveway, as if he was waiting for her.

"Toby?" Spencer asked, stepping out onto the porch and shutting the door to prevent her father from hearing. She was immediately welcomed by a heavy sprinkle of rain. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice tight.

Toby turned to face her. There were still about five feet between them. His blue eyes cut like knives. It was like they had hardened over, their sapphire blue turned to ice.

"To find out why the hell you just walked out of the theater yesterday." Toby said, his voice similar to how it had been a few weeks ago, when he had stormed into her house and demanded answers. "I thought we were finally figuring things out!"

"Yeah, and that's the problem!" Spencer exclaimed though the rain. Her clothes were already soaked, her hair dripping, but she didn't care. "What if we do figure things out? What's going to happen when we get back to Rosewood? It's going to go back to being the same thing! We've been over this Toby! I told you that it isn't safe for you to be around me!"

"And I said I don't care." Toby took two strides toward her, so that they were hardly a foot apart.

"Well you should!"

"I don't get you, Spencer. One minute, you're perfectly fine with spending time with me, and the next, it's 'too dangerous'. What's going on? Tell me, damn it!" He shouted.

"Don't you think that if I could tell you, that I would have already?" Spencer yelled, "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, okay!" She didn't realize how close they had become as they shouted in each other's faces.

"You are the single most confusing person I have ever met!" Toby exclaimed.

"Wha – " Spencer started, but her words were smothered as Toby's arm roped around her waist and his other hand collided with the back of her neck and in the next second, his warm mouth enveloped hers. Her words were swallowed by a moan and she couldn't stop herself as her hands raked through his hair. Even in the chill of the morning rain, she felt warmth spread from her lips throughout her body. His arms tightened around her waist and he lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his torso, the time of separation dissolving into the kiss. Toby's lips worked against her urgently, and she in turn moaned softly, tightening her hold on him.

And there, in the pouring rain, Spencer began to hope for those ten days she had left.

**See! I promised some happiness! Alright, it isn't over yet, because we still have the wedding and everything, but I promise, I will deliver beauty 3 Cause, after all, what is Spoby if not beautiful?**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	10. Chapter 9: Day 4

9:

"Spencer! Melissa!" Her mother's voice rang out from downstairs, followed by the slam of the front door, rattling the house. "I'm home!"

Spencer slid a silver comb beneath the pile of curls atop her head and sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. She braced her hands on the side of the sink and studied the contours of her face staring back at her: her brown eyes, her full bottom lip and long oval face. She had been told over and over how pretty she was throughout the course of her life. But they all seemed like empty compliments to her. It wasn't until Toby had said it that…she really felt it_._ Toby always had that effect on her. He made her feel _beautiful_ all the time. She closed her eyes and touched her fingertips to the side of her face, down her neck and around her ear, remembering in vivid detail the days before they had broken up, when Toby's lips would caress her face, and he would whisper how exquisite she was. She shivered at the memory.

"Hey." Melissa's voice made her jump.

She turned to see her sister, noticeably more pregnant as the days went on, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.

"You look cute. Where are you off to?" She asked, motioning to Spencer's purple Greek-style dress and heels.

"I'm going out." Spencer answered curtly, turning back to the mirror to blot her lipstick.

"Well, I hardly doubt that there's anywhere you can go "out" to wearing that without a motive. Spill." Melissa said.

"Fine. But you can't tell Mom or Dad."

"You have my word. Now out with it."

"I'm going to Bistro 315…with Toby." Spencer said finally, letting out a breath as she did.

Melissa's eyes went wide and her eyebrows shot up, "Toby? When…when did you figure this out? Last night you were heartbroken that you couldn't make things work with him."

"Well, things have changed since then." Spencer said, leaning her back against the sink.

"Uh huh." Melissa said, not believing it. "Like what?"

"Like I realized that I do in fact have ten more days away from Rosewood and I intend to make things right with Toby. Even if they get messed up again when we go home, it's worth it. I want Toby to know that he wasn't the only one who was whole-heartedly in that relationship."

"Alright." Melissa said. "I'm happy for you, Sis. I know that things were messed up between us for the past few months, but I'm glad that you want to make things right with Toby. It isn't easy to lose someone you love. Believe me, I know. But if you have a chance to follow your heart, you should do it."

"Thank you, Melissa." Spencer said honestly.

"So, how are you getting there?" She asked.

"Well, that part I have yet to figure out. I was thinking that I'd pull a Juliet and climb out that window." Spencer replied, motioning with her head to the large bathroom window. "But, I don't think that that's my _best_ option."

"You're right. I doubt that your Romeo would approve of a huge tear up the side of your dress. Or, maybe he'd approve of it _too_ much."

Spencer laughed in spite of her blush. "Alright, what other options do I have?"

"Well, Toby _could_ pick you up in his truck, but both Mom and Dad are home tonight. So, unless you want a huge confrontation about how 'you shouldn't be making such rash decisions after such a hard fall with the police' and such, that option is out. Here, I'll get Mom and Dad out of the house and take them to dinner. What time are you meeting Toby?" Melissa asked.

"Seven."

"Alright, it's six right now. I'll get them out by then."

"Really? Oh, thanks so much, Melissa. You're the best." Spencer said sincerely, leaning over to hug her sister around her baby bump.

"My pleasure." Melissa replied as Spencer pulled back. She looked her in the eye and smiled. "I want you to have a chance at love, Spencer. You shouldn't have to give it up this young. Now go, get ready. I'll go work on Mom and Dad."

"Okay. Thank you again."

Melissa nodded and headed down the hallway. Spencer turned back to the mirror and smiled at her reflection. "Alright. We're not going to mess this up this time." She told herself and then went to work putting on her earrings.

* * *

><p>The sound of rapping on the door made Spencer's face light up. She turned the lock and opened the door. There, like something straight out of a Nicholas Sparks movie, was Toby. Dressed in a suit and tie, his blue eyes unguarded, and holding a bouquet of red roses, it didn't seem possible that anything could be more perfect. Her heart began to flutter.<p>

"Hey." He said with a soft smile.

"Hi." She said, unable to stop herself from beaming like an idiot.

He softly reached for her hand, holding it for a second before lifting it to his face, brushing his lips against the back of her fingers. He brought her hand down, placing the bouquet in her grasp, wrapping her fingers around the stems.

Spencer laughed softly. "Well, aren't you traditional?"

"Always." He said with his crooked half-smile. "You look…beautiful."

Spencer blushed. He had said it so many times before, but it seemed so different now. "Thank you. You clean up pretty nice yourself." She teased, absentmindedly running her fingertips along the length of his collar.

"Thanks. Alright, are you ready to go?" Toby asked.

"Yes." Spencer replied and stepped out onto the porch, fishing the house keys from her purse and locking the front door. "Lead the way."

Toby held out his hand to her and she took it, no awkwardness between them. It felt as thought this really was their very first date, and they were two regular people, with no past to run from, no future closing in on them. Just Spencer and Toby.

And Spencer loved how that felt.

* * *

><p>The smile never left Spencer's face as she got in the car and as she peered out the window, the grin still refused to leave.<p>

"So where is this place you told me about?" Spencer asked as Toby drove along the bending dirt road.

"Somewhere." Toby said, his eyes on the road. His lips spread into a smile.

"I don't get why you can't just tell me." Spencer said. "What's the big secret? Am I overdressed? Underdressed?"

"You're perfect." Toby said, simply as that, like it was a fact. As if he were saying 'It's going to rain today.'

Spencer smiled wider and sighed. God, she missed this. So much.

But she wouldn't think about that. Tonight was about here and now, and being with Toby while she still had the chance.

"Wait, I think you might be lost, Toby."

"Lost? Me? Never." Toby teased.

"Well, we're going the wrong way. Town is that way." Spencer said, pointing.

"I know."

"And you said that Bistro 315 was in town."

"I did say that."

"Then explain yourself."

"Shhh….you talk too much, Spence." Toby chuckled and reached for her hand, his eyes still on the road.

"You know I hate being kept in the dark."

"I know." Toby continued to smile.

"Toby Cavanaugh. You are _awful_."

"I know that, too."

Spencer laughed and shook her head. "Alright. I'll go along with it."

"Like you have another choice…" Toby shook his head and sniggered.

After about thirty seconds, Spencer had had enough. "Are we…taking a shortcut?" She asked subtly.

"Oh, no. Nice try. My lips are sealed."

Toby took a turn on the road. They kept driving and she saw a faint light in the distance. As they neared it, she saw that it was on the front of the house. As they got closer, Spencer squinted her eyes in scrutiny. "Wait! Is this…your beach house?"

"You were always the smart one." Toby grinned.

"Why did we just take the long way, all the way back to your house? We just went in a complete circle!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Shh…just trust me on this, Spencer." Toby said as he turned into the driveway and put the car into park. He came around the side and opened the door for her, standing beside her. Spencer stared up at the house through the windshield, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to piece together everything.

"But…are we just making a stop for something?"

"Nope." Toby shook his said, the smile ever omnipresent.

"Then…when are we going to Bistro 315?"

"Spencer." Toby said simply, holding his hand out for her.

Spencer turned to look him in the eye. "Wait, we aren't going to Bistro 315, are we?"

Toby shook his head.

"So, you made that up? Why – "

"Spencer, just take my hand." Toby said, his tone a teasing, "you silly girl" way.

Spencer opened her mouth to say more but thought better of it. She sighed and smiled once more, taking his hand and letting his help her out of the car.

"You're awful."

"I know. Do you trust me?"

"Of course." Spencer said automatically. "Goofball."

"104 points."

"Oh, shut up." Spencer bit her lip and smiled, even if it was a bit sour to remember it. How far they had come. From being so far to so close and then back to so far again. Although, there, in the pale moonlight, as he led her up the path to the front of the house, Spencer felt that same sense of closeness.

Toby held the front door open for her, and she entered the house. Toby stepped in behind her, flicking on the light that illuminated the foyer. The house's design was remarkably similar to hers – same mesh curtains, same sandy-colored floor.

Spencer looked around at the high ceilings and she felt Toby's fingertips on her shoulders. He carefully slid her jacket off, moving it down her arms slowly and then hanging it on the coat rack beside the door.

"This way, please." He smiled and took her hand once more, as if he couldn't stand not having direct contact with her. He led her through the living room and kitchen, to the back door. He reached for the handle and pulled the door open. Spencer peered out, and what she saw was like a direct photo from a classic romance movie. A single table sheathed in a white tablecloth with chairs on opposite ends sat on the back porch – that same back porch that Spencer had discovered Toby on not four days ago – complete with wine glasses beside a bottle of Spencer's favorite cranberry sparkling cider and two dining setups.

"Toby." Spencer said softly, taking it all in. "This…this is beautiful. How did you…why did you…I…I can't even say anything."

"Wow. Rendering Spencer Hastings speechless? I'd say that deserves some kind of…plaque or something." Toby teased, smiling beside her. "Do you like it?" He asked softly.

"It's perfect." Were the only words Spencer could utter. No one had ever done something like that for her. Ever. Wren had cheated on her sister with her – which, thinking back, was far from romantic. Alex had danced with her, once, but only to leave her without giving her a chance to explain herself a few weeks later. With Toby…everything seemed secured. Permanent.

And, to be honest, it scared the hell out of her.

"Do you want to sit down?" Toby asked.

Spencer nodded with a smile.

Toby led her to the table, sliding out the chair for her and then pushing it in. He took his own seat across from her. This time, Spencer was the one to join their hands, reaching for his fingers across the table. He squeezed her hand softly.

"So, you just thought up this whole scheme? I'm impressed. Not a lot of guys would go through this much trouble just to trick their…" Spencer stumbled over the words. She almost said _girlfriend_, but they were technically broken up. "dates." She concluded and cleared her throat.

"It was worth it. To see the look on your face." Toby smiled.

"I'm going to get you back for this, you hopeless romantic, you." Spencer grinned back and sighed. "But really. This is beautiful. No one ever cared enough to go through so much trouble just to make something special for me. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Toby said sincerely. "And thank you for saying yes."

Spencer felt a pang of guilt that he even had to ask, but she smiled anyway.

"Cheers?" She said, holding up her glass of cider.

"Cheers." Toby held up his own glass and tapped it against hers.

"To…new beginnings." She said.

"And Myrtle Beach."

Spencer nodded as she sipped her drink, setting it down.

"So, I have to ask." Spencer smiled, putting on a 'serious' façade. "Will this dinner be as excellent as that of Bistro 315?"

"Wouldn't know. Considering that it doesn't exist." Toby bit his lip with a grin.

"You made that up too?" Spencer asked, pleasantly flabbergasted.

"Well, I did a good job, didn't I? I mean, it sounds pretty dang extravagant if I do say so myself."

Spencer shook her head and snickered. "Alright, hats off to you. But be watching! You never know when I'm going to sneak up on you and get you back!"

"Hmm…why does that idea sound pleasantly amusing to me?" He joked and she laughed.

"So, you made dinner, I presume."

"Of course. What kind of romantic would I be if I wasn't thorough?"

"Which means you cook?"

"Well, my mom was quite the chef."

"And I'm just become aware of this because…?"

"Well, it's not like I could have ever invited you over to chow down with me and the fam." Toby pointed out, smirking at her.

"True." Spencer admitted. She laughed at the idea of her sitting down at a table across from Jenna at the Cavanaugh's kitchen table while Toby wheeled in a cart of turkey and served them.

Spencer sighed. "I still can't believe it."

"What?"

"That you did all this for me."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. Because I've been a total bitch lately." Spencer said, and even though she laughed, she was dead serious.

Toby shrugged. "That kind of stuff doesn't matter."

"Then what does?" Spencer asked.

Toby shrugged and then got a faraway look in his eye, as if he were a million miles away. "The little things. Like everyday miracles. And then the big things. Like finding that one person that you just…stop at nothing for."

Spencer looked at him, her lips parted, unsure of what to say. Toby cleared his throat and his eyes returned back to the present.

Spencer smiled softly and took another sip of cider. "Where's your dad tonight?"

"Out." Toby answered, "It's the groom's bachelor party."

"Ah." Spencer smiled. "So, uh, why aren't you there, tough guy? I thought bachelor parties were every man's dream – strippers and booze."

Toby chuckled, "Even if my dad _would_ let me go, and as 'fun' as that sounds, I had a better offer." He grinned and gave her a meaningful look, triggering the blush that rose to her cheeks.

She bit her lips with a smile. "So, what did you cook for us tonight, Chef Cavanaugh?"

"Only the best for Miss Hastings." Toby smiled, imitating a French chef, "You're favorite."

"Okay, there is no way that you went through all the trouble to make filet mignon and cheese soufflé." Spencer said, her mouth open.

"Yes, there is." Toby smiled.

Spencer shook her head. "Wow. This just isn't fair. I get the incredible date, my favorite drink, candlelight, and now my favorite food? I did nothing to deserve this. I didn't give you anything!"

"Don't be silly." Toby disagreed. "You gave me you. And that will always be more than enough."

Spencer smiled, even though tears flooded her eyes. This was all too much. Seeing Toby again was enough to send her over the edge, but seeing him all romantic, pulling out all the stops, doing everything for her…it was almost too much to take.

"Spencer? Are you alright?" Toby asked, squeezing her hand with a worried look in his eyes.

"I'm fine. More than fine. I love this, Toby. It's…just too beautiful for words." Spencer sighed.

"Then cheers, again."

Spencer sniffed and laughed, picking up her glass. "Cheers. To words."

"Or lack thereof."

"And how beautiful they can be."

* * *

><p>After dinner, Spencer helped Toby bring in the plates, setting them down by the sink. Toby blew out the candles and set them on the counter as well.<p>

"Do you want me to help you with these?" Spencer asked, motioning towards the pile of dishes.

"Hmm…maybe later." Toby replied. "I have other plans for us at the moment."

"Oh? And what would they be?" Spencer asked.

"How do you feel about watching a movie? I got one of your favorites." Toby smiled.

"It sounds perfect. Except for the fact that this dress is not the most comfortable for relaxing in." Spencer said. "My parents are supposed to be out until about ten or eleven, if Melissa took them to the movies like she promised me she would. I still have time to run home and…grab some sweats?"

"No, it's alright." Toby shook his head. "You can just wear my old t-shirt or something."

"Really, Toby? I have yet to return your blue one that you lent me. How can you be sure you can trust me with another?" She teased.

"I don't mind. They look so much better on you anyway." He smiled and let his hand rest on the side of the sink behind her, so that her back was pinned to counter.

Spencer bit her lip and sighed. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a second at the feel of his soft breath on her face. She was sure that she had the same mint-chip ice cream breath from their dessert, and the thought oddly made her want to kiss him again. After their kiss earlier in the day, Spencer had returned to her room rather dazed, and much too gleefully accepted his request for the date in the text he sent her shortly after.

But she wouldn't get too far in. Not just yet. She wanted to make every second count, and drag out every moment in the short time she had to be with him.

A lifetime's worth of romance in ten days.

She cleared her throat. "Alright. Movie it is."

"Here you go." Toby smiled, tossing her a t-shirt from the top drawer of his dresser.

Spencer was standing just inside the doorway of Toby's bedroom, which resembled her own at the beach house. White bed, wood flooring, and wide window.

She caught the t-shirt and smiled. "Thanks."

"I'll go put the movie in." Toby said, sliding out of his suit jacket and setting it on the bed. "And uh, let you get changed." He said.

She nodded. "Alright. I'll be down."

He grabbed a pair of pajama pants and another shirt on his way out, and lingered in the doorway for a moment. She blushed and bit her lip, smiling softy. He smiled back before finally heading down the hall, and she heard the soft pitter-patter of his footsteps on the staircase.

She sighed and unzipped her dress, sliding it down and stepping out of it. She pulled the soft gray shirt over her head, sliding her arms through the holes and letting it drop to the middle of her thighs. Once it was situated, she got to work on taking down her hair. She slid out the thick combs that held it up and then the small bobby pins, setting them on the table beside her.

She had just gotten the last pin out and her curls were tumbling loosely down her back, when she felt Toby's soft lips press against the curve between her neck and shoulder that was left uncovered by the collar of the shirt. She gasped at the suddenness of his touch, but the silky pressure of his mouth made her stay planted right where she was. Her hand moved to rest on the back of his neck, her eyes falling shut. "Mmmm…" She sighed deeply. "I didn't hear you come up."

"Sorry." His cool breath tickled her skin. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay." She mumbled as his lips began to slide up the side of her neck, to the soft hollow beneath her ear. She sighed when he pressed a kiss to her skin there, unable to make him stop even if she wanted to. She was a slave to his touch, addicted to his caress. His arms encircled her waist, pressing her back into the hard planes of his chest.

"Sorry. We should probably stop." Toby murmured into her hair softly.

Even thought that was the last thing she wanted to do, he was right. They didn't need to go too fast if they only had so little time left. As oddly as it sounded, they needed to go slow in their short time together. And she wasn't sure that she would be able to live with herself – or walk away again – once she got back to Rosewood if she had gotten too involved with him.

"You're right." Spencer agreed. She regretfully pulled away and turned to him. He had changed into his pajamas and t-shirt, and his soft blue eyes regarded her calmly. "Ready?" She asked, holding out her hand to him.

"Lead the way." He smiled, taking her hand.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you found it." Spencer shook her head, halfway through the movie.<p>

"What?"

"I can't believe that they had a copy of this movie at the little BlockBuster in town. I've searched all over Rosewood but I cannot find a single place that has _The Lake House_."

"Well, I guess I just got lucky." Toby smiled.

"No, I'm the lucky one." Spencer murmured, only to herself. Toby probably didn't hear, but he pressed his lips into her hair softly. She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

She smiled as she watched Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock open and close their mailboxes – the only portal to reach each other – and fall in love within the pages on their letters. She sighed. If they could make it work living in two different times, then why couldn't she and Toby?

"Toby? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why did you wait for me? Why didn't you just decide that I wasn't worth your time?"

"Haven't you listened to anything I've said?"

"Of course."

"Did Romeo leave Juliet?"

"No."

"Did Landon give up on Jamie when she told him not to fall in love with her?"

"No."

"Did Alex stop loving Kate even when he had to wait two years to be with her?" Toby asked, motioning to the TV screen.

"No."

"Then who am I to question their knowledge?" He teased with a smile.

Spencer laughed.

Toby cocked his head to the side. "Do you want to know why I really didn't let you go?"

Spencer nodded.

"Because you made me want to risk everything to trust someone again. And I wasn't willing to give up that easy. What is love if we aren't willing to fight for it?"

Spencer was speechless. The voices in the movie seemed a million miles away. She sighed and looked at him. His eyes regarded her calmly; no sigh of fear or backtracking.

And she felt that rush of guilt again. Followed by her own fears. A was capable of doing anything. What would happen to Toby if she let him in to far?

But she stopped herself just in time. She had ten whole days. And she decided right then not to waste them worrying.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing me what love looks like. I'm going to be completely honest here. Before you, I didn't really know what it looked like. It was just something that people talked about from time to time. I didn't feel like I needed it yet. But it was right there, waiting for me with you. I seems like you were always there. I just had to wake up and realize it. I'll never stop being sorry for not finding you sooner."

Toby's eyes bore into hers the whole time she spoke, and when she was done, he pulled her into him, kissing her as if he couldn't stand it a second longer. And she let him, kissing him back with all of the love she felt. Everything bubbled to the surface; all of her feelings that she had suppressed for so long finally broke through their dam and she sighed, breathing him in as his arms wound around her tighter. One of her hands tangled in his hair and the other touched his cheek softly. He tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss and she moaned softly. His tongue traced the curve of her lower lip and her head was spinning.

The shrill sound of the phone beeping broke through her heavy cloud of bliss and she yelped, jumping and pulling away. She groaned with annoyance, reaching for her cell phone, where it lay on the coffee table, still in Toby's lap, one palm resting on his shoulder.

She opened the text from Melissa, which informed her promptly "The movie was shorter than we thought. We are on our way home! So sorry! :/"

"Ughh!" Spencer groaned, dropping the phone on the coffee table. She turned to Toby.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed, hair mused from their kiss.

"I gotta go." Spencer said regretfully. "My parents are on their way back."

"Oh." Toby looked disappointed, but he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Let me walk you out?"

"Of course. Just let me change first." Spencer said, climbing off his lap and taking his hand, pulling him up with her. His arms wrapped around her for a lingering moment before he released her to go get dressed upstairs.

* * *

><p>After she had changed back into her dress and had her heels in her hand, she stood in the doorway with Toby. "Thank you so much. For all this. It was perfect." She said.<p>

"I'm sorry we didn't get to finish the movie." Toby said.

"It's okay. It'll give me an excuse to come over here again." Spencer smiled. She held out his t-shirt to him. "I believe this is yours."

Toby chuckled, taking it. "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

"Of course." Spencer replied. She stretched up on her toes to kiss his softly. He smiled and when she pulled back, he held her there, just a breath away.

"Are you sure I can't drive you home?" Toby breathed against her lips.

"No, sorry. I don't want my parents to come home sooner than I think and see a mysterious pickup truck in their driveway." Spencer teased and pulled back. "Bye."

"Bye." Toby smiled.

She held his hand as long as she could as she walked away.

* * *

><p>Later that night, when she had safely returned to her house and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Spencer pulled out the journal from the drawer of her nightstand and her pen.<p>

She clicked the pen and put the top of the page.

And she began again with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_ I love you._

_ That's all I have to say._

_ With Love, _

_Spencer_

**Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updating - the next chapter will be up sooner! And I have it all thought out. The wedding is getting closer! Haha ;) Thanks for sticking by me!**

**Live. Love. Spoby**

**AJ**_  
><em>


	11. Chapter 10: Day 5

10:

Day 5:

"Alright, truth or dare." Spencer asked with a smile on her face.

"Hmmm….dare." Toby replied finally, looking at her.

Spencer giggled and began to ponder what she would dare him to do. I was early afternoon, the sun high in the sky. Toby had texted Spencer that morning: "Up for a walk on the beach?". She had quickly responded "yes" and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and loose cardigan.

Now, she and Toby were strolling along the shore, as easily as the breeze, playing Truth or Dare. Spencer had slipped off her flip-flops and had them dangling from her fingertips while the tide teased her toes.

Toby's white T-shirt rippled in the breeze, "Well, do you have anything?"

"Oh, I have something." Spencer answered, a wicked smile across her face.

"Uh oh. That's your evil smile. Am I about to regret picking dare over truth?" Toby asked.

"I dare you to go swimming in the ocean. Now." Spencer giggled.

"Like right now? You dare me to go into the freezing ocean fully clothed?" Toby asked, his eyebrows rising.

Spencer nodded gleefully and clapped her hands, "Alright, hop to it!"

"You little…" Toby smiled and with no warning, stooped to wrap his arms around her legs and hoisted her upward, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Spencer exclaimed as she was picked up. "Put me down!" She protested, but couldn't help giggling.

But Toby ran straight into the water, to the waves and Spencer squealed, squirming, "Put. Me. Down. Toby!" She exclaimed.

"Alright." Toby said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He slid her down from his shoulder and set her down straight into the waist-deep water.

"Ah! It's cold!" Spencer shrieked, laughing.

"I know." Toby smiled.

"You are awful!" Spencer laughed. She kicked her leg, splashing water at him.

"I see how it is!" Toby teased, stooping down to swipe his hand across the surface, sending a spray of saltwater over her.

In response, Spencer kicked more water at him. Toby returned her blow by wrapping her tightly in his arms once more and dragger her deeper in the water, pulling them both beneath the surface.

Once he pulled them back up above the water, Spencer pushed her sopping wet hair from her face and gasped for air. "I'm pretty sure it's against the law to try and drown someone!" She exclaimed.

"I wasn't trying to drown you. I was dunking you under water to make you irritated. There's a difference."

"Hardly!" She said, pushing his wet hair from his face. Toby smiled and pulled her in close, kissing her softly for a moment. She sighed.

"I'm sorry." Toby smiled against her lips.

"You are not forgiven!" Spencer giggled. "You ruined my hair and outfit!"

"I'm sure that's against the law, too." Toby laughed.

"Shut up!" Spencer exclaimed, but her smile spread wider across her face.

"Make me." Toby challenged.

"Is that a challenge, Toby Cavanaugh?"

"It certainly appears that way, doesn't it, Ms. Hastings?"

Spencer laughed and leaned in, smiling as she sealed her lips over his. She sighed as Toby's lips came to life against hers, kissing her back. It felt so good to be able to kiss him again, whenever she wanted. Even if it might end sooner than later, being with him for a while was worth it.

When he pulled away and kissed her nose softly. "I promised your sister I'd have you back to the house by four."

"What does she need me for?" Spencer asked, a little too defensively. Whatever Melissa needed, she was sure it could wait until they returned to Rosewood. Right now, all she needed was to be with Toby as much as she could before she was back in A's hearing range.

"Something about the bride's final dress fitting. I don't know, some wedding stuff." Toby shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Oh. Maybe this couldn't wait until after the wedding. She sighed and pulled away from him, standing with her feet sinking into the sand. "Alright. What time is it now?"

"3:45." Toby said, pushing some dripping hair from his face and reading his watch.

"And I should probably get in some dry clothes. I wonder how I'm going to explain this to my parents…"

Toby laughed. "Well, good luck with that one."

"Hey! You made this happen! You should be helping me with my story!" Spencer protested.

Toby held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, you were the one that dared me. I can't be held responsible."

"You are _awful_."

"I know."

* * *

><p>"You look stunning, Annie." Veronica said gleefully to her sister.<p>

"A vision of beauty." Melissa chimed in.

"Perfect!" Annie's future sister-in-law, Jenn chimed in.

Annie grinned and looked down at her dress. "Thanks so much you guys. And thanks for being here."

There were choruses of "no problems" and "we wouldn't miss it!"

Spencer sighed and smiled, crossing her arms and leaning her back against the wall. They were in the master bedroom of Annie's rented beach house a few miles away from their own, watching Annie try on her wedding gown, which Spencer had to admit, was gorgeous.

"What do you think, Spencer?" Annie turned to her niece.

"It's stunning." Spencer said with a false smile.

Melissa eyed her and raised her eyebrows, as if to ask "are you okay?" Spencer nodded. And she was okay. A bit irritated, but still okay. Weddings were never her favorite subject. She knew that she would love her own wedding, but it was so annoying watching petty brides become gluttons for attention. And her mother had made her leave her cell phone at home so that she "wouldn't be distracted to text Aria, Hanna, and Emily."

Psh. As if. The real concern her mother should have had was Spencer texting Toby nonstop.

So, she was communicationless and not happy about it.

Thankfully when she had kissed Toby goodbye on the doorstep of her back door, Melissa had been the only one home. Their parents had gone into town to purchase some more scotch, which gave her the perfect opportunity to change clothes and dry off.

Of course, Melissa had pelted her with questions the second Toby was out of earshot. She had even followed Spencer to her room as she peeled off her soaked cardigan and tank top and shorts. Spencer had to lock herself in her closet to change to make her go away.

And once she had dried her hair and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a white blouse, she had headed downstairs to tell Melissa the story. Of course, by that time, her parents had returned, so Melissa shot Spencer a look that said "You _will_ tell me later."

And she would probably have to. And she probably owed it to her for covering for her time and time again.

"Alright, time to try on the bridesmaids' dresses!" Annie announced, clapping her hands together.

Thankfully, Annie had selected only Veronica, Melissa, Jenn, and her best friend's Cassie and Elif to be bridesmaids. Spencer wouldn't have been caught dead in the watermelon pink chiffon dresses. They looked like a Vera Wang and Willy Wonka accident. Like they _could_ have been pretty, but weren't. Much too tight on top and much too frilly on the bottom. Ugh. The thought of Toby attending the wedding to watch her walk down the aisle looking like a seasick mermaid was almost too disturbing to bear.

But she watched as the five girls changed into their dresses, all sinking into that level of teenage glee once more. It was as if she was watching them all age backwards, until they were suddenly freshman girls getting ready for their first homecoming.

"So tell us again how Mitch proposed to you, Annie!" Elif clapped her hands with delight.

All of the others gasped and smiled. "Yes, Annie tell us!" Melissa smiled. "I haven't heard the story from the beginning yet."

Neither had Spencer. She cocked her head to the side and listened as Annie began to paint her Nicholas-Sparks-Movie-Picture.

"Well, you know how we used to write love letters to each other when we first met, right?" Annie asked.

"Yes." The women nodded their head enthusiastically.

"Well, it turns out that he kept all the letters I wrote him. And for my birthday a few months ago, he bought me this beautiful patch of roses to plant in the little garden in the back of my apartment. So, as we went out to plant them, he had me dig in open patch of dirt. Well, my shovel hit something, and when I uncovered it, it was a shoebox. I looked at him, and he urged me to open it. And when I did, there it was. The stack of love letters I wrote him. On the top, there was a new letter – one that I had never read. It was from him. And it said," Annie paused for dramatic effect, "'Roses are red, violets are blue, would you please be my wife? Because I will never not love you."

The women all let out various levels of "Awww!"s and Spencer sighed, smiling to herself.

Maybe weddings and marriage were such scary things after all.

Maybe they just needed to be done right.

And Spencer hoped that one day, when things were finally at peace, that it would be one thing that she could do right.

* * *

><p>Once they returned to the house and had their dinner of Italian takeout from the restaurant in town, Melissa went upstairs to take a shower and Spencer left her parents to watch Suits in the living room.<p>

When she reached her bedroom, Spencer changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, looping her hair into a loose bun at the top of her head. And she sighed, sitting back on the bed and listening to the sound of the water gushing from the bathroom down the hall.

She pulled out the leather bound journal and pen and opened it up to the next available page, sinking into her pillows.

And she began once more with _Dear Toby_.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_ Today was probably the most peaceful day I've had in a really long time. And I know why. It's because I spend it with you. With you, I always forget all the complications in my life, and you make me hope for the future._

_ Like this afternoon, for instance. I thought about marriage. Marriage, Toby! Can you really imagine me pondering the thought of planning my wedding and walking up the aisle in a white dress? Because I couldn't until today._

_ The worst part is, the thought of marriage only sounds comprehendible when I picture you at that alter, waiting for me. And I hope to God I'll never have the balls to let you read this, because it's absolutely humiliating. I'm laughing at myself right now, just writing it._

_ But maybe that wasn't the worst part. In fact, maybe it's the best part. What do you think?_

_ You have me completely turned upside down, Toby Cavanaugh. You make me feel things that are so beyond the bounds of myself that I don't know which way is up. And most of the time, I'm scared out of my mind._

_ But that's not the scariest part._

_ The scariest part is that I wouldn't have it any other way._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

__**Ta-Da! Three happy chapters in a row? I am on a role! YESS. So, I would like to credit Bree, Tiffy, Jenn, Elif, and Cassie for letting me use their names as characters in this scenario ;) **

**Will Spoby's peace survive? Will Spencer's parents find out and interveen? How will the wedding pan out? Stay tuned ;)**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	12. Chapter 11: Day 6

11:

"Wait, wait, wait. Tell me one more time. But this time with more drama. And passion. Do it like they would in _The Bachelor._" Hanna said confidently, scooping another spoonful of Phish Food ice cream into her mouth.

"Hanna." Emily and Aria said simultaneously. Spencer rolled her eyes and laughed. Nothing could upset her at the moment. She had just woken up to a glorious morning in the beautiful Myrtle Beach to the sound of her cell phone beeping, and received a "good morning" text from her little hopeless romantic, Toby.

"What? I haven't had _this_ good of a drama-llama romance since Jake and Vienna split." Hanna held up her hands in front of her. She looked into the camera at Spencer. "Look at her blush!"

Spencer laughed, "Stop!"

"But, really, Spencer. So, all this _The Notebook_ romance happened within the last two days?" Aria asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Hey. Never underestimate the power of true love." Hanna said with a mouthful of ice cream. "It moves mountains. Like Jack and Rose. It moved an iceberg for them. Too bad they ended up dying, but whatever…"

"Hanna, it's either ice cream or your foot. They both can't go in your mouth." Emily chastised. They were both on Hanna's bed, Em on her stomach, her elbows resting on her open chemistry textbook, and Hanna lying against her mountain of pillows, indulging in a bucket of ice cream for breakfast because they "were out of jelly, so therefore a peanut butter and jelly was out of the question."

"No, I didn't mean it like that, Spence. I meant that I was just really surprised that…" Aria started. She, too, was in her bedroom, but she was in the midst of folding clothes on her bed. One of the "perks of being grounded for life."

"Fall back in love so easily?" Emily add-libbed for her.

"No, no." Hanna cut in. "Because that would entitle falling _out_ of love. And that would never happen. Not with Sober."

"Sober?" Emily peered up at her with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, Spencer and Toby's couple name." Hanna shrugged.

"No, that's the beginning and end of Spencer's name with a syllable of Toby's smashed in the middle." Aria said, wearing the same look as Emily.

"Whatever!" Hanna threw up her hands in surrender. "Sober, Tobencer, Spoby. I don't' know – Sober sounds good! It's a real word."

"Haleb's not a real word." Emily pointed out.

"Oh, what now Caleb and I have to have a couple name too?" Hanna asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well, if Toby and I have to, then so do you. And I don't mean to sound selfish, but I thought that this was about me!" Spencer said. She sat with her legs crossed on her bed, her closed journal resting beside her. She had written another entry when she had awoken before she had received the Skype call from her friends, eager to know how things were with Toby. Spencer had immediately launched into the story of the past few days. Of course, Hanna had insisted on _every. Single. Little. Detail. _Which was pretty awkward, considering the intimate encounters they had had – nothing too serious, but uncomfortable to share just the same. Hanna had been oblivious to the awkwardness, and Emily and Aria weren't objecting either.

"You're right. Sorry, Spence." Emily apologized. "So, do you have plans to see him today?"

"Well I should hope so." Spencer smiled. "I mean, I only have eight days left, right?"

"Well, seven, if you count the wedding." Hanna said.

"Thanks, Han." Spencer rolled her eyes sourly.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Hanna said. She stretched to look at her alarm clock lying on her bedside table. Her eyes went huge. "Dammit! I gotta shower! I'm meeting Caleb in twenty minutes."

"Maybe the ice cream wasn't the best bet for breakfast." Emily said.

"Alright, _Mom._ Dooly noted." Hanna rolled her eyes and bound off the bed, already peeling off her loose sweater before she was out of the camera's view.

"Enjoy your shower." Aria said, setting a pair of socks on a pile.

"Shut up Aria!" Hanna's muffled voice came from outside the view of the camera, and the three girls laughed.

"Alright, so tell me again about the date. Oh, it sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

"Yep, 'cause that's my life." Spencer said sarcastically. "You know, I'm just Spencerella and Prince Toby is coming in to sweep me off my feet while A, the evil queen, continuously tries to rip us apart."

"Well, now that you say it that way, that's kind of exactly how it is." Emily indicated.

"Yeah, you're right, it kind of is." Spencer agreed. "But anyway, yes, it was perfect, it was the most – "

She was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing. "Hold that thought." Spencer said, reaching for her cell phone where it lay beside her lamp. She quickly scanned the caller ID and her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"What is it, Spence?" Aria asked, her voice thickening with concern.

"I didn't even…how does he still…" Spencer muttered to herself, not answering Aria.

"Who?" Emily asked, interested as well.

Spencer held up a hand to them as she pressed TALK on her cell. She rose the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She said evenly.

"Spencer." A voice, dense with an accent, said in her ear. "How are you. I've been meeting to call you – I stopped by your house but it seemed no one was home. Then your neighbor informed me that you were out of town."

"Jason told you that?" Spencer asked. Aria and Emily jumped to attention, but stayed silent.

"I think so." Wren said. "So, how are you? I'm sorry it's been so long since we've talked."

"Who is it?" Aria whispered into the camera, but Spencer put her finger to her lips.

"Listen, Wren…" The sound of Spencer saying his name made Aria and Em's eyes even wider. "Now's not really the best time…"

"I understand. But I was just wondering if you wanted to get a bite to eat when you return. Which would be when…?" Wren asked.

A date. It was painfully obvious what he was asking. He didn't want to know how she was, not really. He wanted a date.

Which would destroy Toby. And frankly, Spencer couldn't see herself bounding back that fast.

"Look, I'm not really…I just…" Spencer searched for the words but for the first time could not find them.

"You're seeing someone, aren't you?" Wren asked. His voice was strained with its patience, nearly to its breaking point. "Who?" He asked.

"I'm not quite sure that that would be your business – " Spencer tried to say.

"No, no, you're right. I apologize. But I was merely curious to who it was." A beat of silence. "It wouldn't be the carpenter again, would it?" He tried to sound casual, but the serious undertone of his voice was breaking the surface.

"So what if it is?" Spencer asked, suddenly defensive. Emily and Aria were hanging onto every word she spoke, trying to piece together the fragments of the conversation.

"Well, I just thought that you two were…not going to be seeing each other anymore."

"Well, I thought that you said that I shouldn't talk myself out of him too quickly." Spencer replied.

"I did, didn't I? I just thought that you didn't want to cause any problems between the two of you. What with the trouble you were going through ad such…"

"Well, if you really thought that I needed space from people to process the, how did you put it?, trouble that I was going through, you wouldn't be calling me right now asking for a date." Spencer kept her tone simple, yet serious. Matter-of-factly.

"Who says I'm asking for a date?"

"You. When you called. I'm sorry Wren, but…I'm not ready to jump into another relationship. And, frankly? I don't think it would have worked out anyway. I could never betray Melissa again. To see you with me…it would kill her. Wren, you're a nice guy, but please find someone your own age." Spencer said.

Emily and Aria's jaws dropped open and they put their hands over their mouths to smother a laugh.

Wren was silent for a moment. "I…I'm sorry. I don't want you to think that I was only calling here for that reason."

"Well, I'm sorry. But I do think that."

"I wish you wouldn't. And I don't want to put you in a position where you would have to choose between your sister and me."

"So don't." Spencer said simply. It was painfully obvious that the 'chivalrous-I'm-perfect-and-I-won't-force-you-into-anything' act was just to get on her good side. And frankly, she had had it with people pretending to care about her when they really didn't.

Wren was once again rendered speechless, "Well, it's become pretty obvious how you feel."

"Good. Then my intent worked."

"Now, Spencer – "

"I'm sorry, but if you understand, then there is really nothing left for us to say." Spencer was desperate to end the conversation.

"Alright." Wren sighed. "Goodbye, Spencer."

And the line went dead.

Spencer hung up the phone with dignity, setting it down on her side table and turning to face her computer screen once more, where she was faced with Aria and Emily looking like Spencer had just grown a second nose.

Spencer laughed, "What?"

"Spencer Hastings." Aria shook her head, a slow smile spreading across her face, "You bad ass."

She and Emily applauded and Spencer laughed. "Did you hear what he said?" She asked.

"Didn't need to." Emily said. "Your end was entertaining enough."

"Good for you, Spence. Don't let people pretend like they give a damn just to get with you." Aria congratulated her. "Too many people are doing that nowadays."

"Hey." Hanna said, coming into frame dressed in a robe and raking a comb through her wet curls. "What did I miss?"

Spencer, Aria, and Emily looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"What?" Hanna asked, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Let's just say that Spencer's English muffin was just _burned._" Aria said between giggles, which made them all laugh harder. Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Why do I even hang out with you weirdos…?" She muttered under her breath and continued to brush her hair.

"Alright, bye guys. I'm going to jump in the shower." Spencer said.

"Okay, Skype us tonight – and tell us if you see Toby again!" Emily said and Aria nodded in agreement.

"Bye, Spence!" Aria smiled, clicking off.

"Bye, I guess…" Hanna said, her face still a mask of puzzlement.

Emily giggled, "See ya, Spence." She said, logging off.

Spencer sighed and smiled widely. She had the best of friends. Nothing could ruin her day now.

Which is exactly what Spencer thought as she headed to the bathroom and turned on the hot water.

She was peeling off her shirt when Melissa entered. "Spencer?"

"Yeah?" Spencer asked. She turned.

Melissa wore a very serious look, "I'm so sorry." She murmured. Her eyes were extremely sad, biting her lip.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Spencer asked gravely. She tugged her shirt back down. "Why are you sorry? What happened?"

But Melissa didn't get a chance to answer. Her parents were suddenly in the doorway behind Melissa.

Her mother had Melissa's cell phone in her hand.

"She picked up my phone." Melissa said hoarsely, her voice thick with her remorse. "She thought it was hers. She read the text messages."

Spencer's eyes got wide. She looked at her mother, who was wearing the same stern look as her father. "What were you doing sneaking out to his house?"

"Mom, I can – " Spencer started.

"You could you Spencer?" Veronica asked, nearly incredulous. "I went through so much trouble to get you are your friends out of jail – and you do this?"

"What's so terrible about meeting Toby?" Spencer asked, her voice rising.

"Because, not only am I not on good terms with that boy, but you are in too much trouble as it is." Her father cut in. "This isn't good for you, Spencer. People are going through so much to make you are your friends look guilty – why would you give them something to talk about?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Spencer exclaimed. "Toby isn't the one causing problems! If anything, it's me! This whole thing revolves around Alison, Aria, Emily, Hanna and me. Leave Toby out of the equation."

"Well, try as we might, the town doesn't." Veronica said solemnly. "It doesn't matter how much Toby cleans up his act. People in Rosewood gossip. They don't care if you change – in their minds, you will always be the same. Do you really want it to look like you and Toby are collaborating in some sort of…part of Alison's murder?"

"But this isn't Rosewood!" Spencer said, her hands grabbing fistfuls of her hair in frustration. "That's the whole point of me spending time with him. Rosewood can't get to us here."

"But Rosewood will always figure out a way to find you. No matter how far you go." Melissa said quietly, as if to herself, speaking for the first time since her parents arrived in the doorway. Spencer looked at her. Her head was bowed, her face shadowed by sorrow. Spencer knew that she was speaking from experience. It didn't matter how long she tried to escape in Philadelphia. Ian's past, present, and lack of future would always catch up with her.

Spencer blinked a few times and let out a breath. "Look. I get what you're saying. But they probably thought the same thing about Toby and me before we broke up."

"But back then you didn't have much of a reason to be suspicious. Now you do." Veronica said.

"Listen, Spencer," Peter chimed in, "that boy is no good for you. You're strong. You're independent. You're smart. You're going to go places. Why waste your time on someone whose only going to hold you down."

"It's not Toby who's holding me down!" Spencer shouted, her patience shattering to bits.

"Spencer!" Veronica reprimanded. "Don't yell!"

"Well someone has to to make you see the truth!" Spencer exclaimed. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes shut before opening them again. "Tell me the real reason why you don't want me to see Toby."

"I just did." Peter said, crossing his arms. "You can do so much better than him, Spencer."

"I think I get to make that choice." Spencer said, her voice even.

"Spencer, listen to yourself." Veronica said. "You said it yourself – you want to keep Toby safe and out of harm's way from whatever tricked you into finding the shovel. Even if you don't want to hear what we have to say, think about it. If you are going to look at the fact that this could be bad on your reputation, at least see this: it could be horrible on Toby's. Whoever framed you must have had something to do with Toby being framed. Do you really want to subject him to that kind of risk? You were so hell-bent on keeping him protected. And I know it's hard to stay away. But listen. You aren't going to want to walk away. I know that you may think that you can be with him for the time we have here, that the second you get back to Rosewood, you can cut the cord as easily as you connected it. But it doesn't work like that. You won't want to let go – not this time. Believe me, Spencer. I've been there. I know how it feels. So, if anything, just listen to that." Veronica said. Her voice was softer now.

Spencer's eyes glazed over with hot tears and she blinked to keep them from falling.

Her mom was right. She had talked herself in and out of what she was doing so many times, but this time, she really had to set herself straight. This wasn't fairytale land. She really wasn't Spencerella whose prince would chase her down to find her and they would fall happily ever after. She was always running away from balls. And then coming back to them. But it was time that she took back her glass slipper and truly left the ball for real. Toby deserved a fresh start. If anything, she needed to give him that.

He was going to kill her when she told him.

She had done this one too many times. Could she really do it again?

Bringing him back, sending him away…it was a ruthless game. Even if they were out of their line of sight, A was still the king of this castle. And Spencer once again felt like the royal fool. For believing in something that couldn't be.

Could it be?

Would it be?

* * *

><p>Once her parents had left her to be alone with her thoughts, Spencer abandoned the idea of the shower and headed to her room, where she collapsed on her bed and pulled out the journal.<p>

And she began, as always, with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_I always thought that in a town like Rosewood, there would always be someone else to blame._

_But I was wrong. There's no one left around me to blame for this but myself. For letting this go on for so long. _

_What will probably end up happening might kill you, and it will surely kill me. But, in the long run, I hope it does us both some good._

_I wonder how many "I'm sorrys" I'll have to say before one of them actually fixes something._

_Maybe that's just another thing I'll hope for._

_I'm going to need to start to keep a list of things I hope for._

_Spencer's Hopes:_

_Make some sense of things_

_Find some solid ground to believe in_

_Truly make things right with my family_

_Get over my fears_

_Find some way to be with you, even if it kills me_

_Have "I'm sorry" actually make something better_

_I know that this may seem like the end, but I won't quit fighting. I wish that there were some way that I could walk away with some confidence that that would be the end. But it never will be._

_And maybe I will be forced away from you sometime soon. Maybe the forces holding us back will finally break us._

_But for now, I'll just have to keep my hopes close to my heart._

_And maybe one day we will finally make sense of things._

_One can dream._

_One can hope._

_But until then, I won't let myself hurt you anymore. But, at the same time, I won't be torn from you again. I couldn't bear either option._

_So, for now, let's just be Spencer and Toby. No pretenses, no complications. Let's let our hearts make the decision for us._

_With Love,_

_Spencer_

Spencer's phone rang the second she set down her pen and she answered it, thankful that it wasn't Wren again.

"Hello?"

"Spencer?" Toby's gentle voice came from the other line, "Can you get out today?"

"I –" Spencer's immediate reaction would have been 'yes', but under the circumstances, she sighed. "No. Not today. My family needs my help on the wedding plans."

"Everything alright?"

"Fine." Spencer reassured him. She needed to be strong. She wanted so badly to tell him to go away, to find someone new. That she was no good for him and that he was no good for her. But she couldn't force the words out of her mouth. Everything she had told herself while her mother spoke to her drained from her mind, and she was suddenly unable to make any sort of promise of pushing him away.

"Toby?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Can we just…I know that this is going to sound terribly weird and confusing but…can we just be…Spencer and Toby for a while? No pretenses, no past, no nothing. Just raw, regular people? I know it sounds silly, but it feels like that's what we need for the moment."

"Uhm…alright?" Toby laughed. "What's wrong Spence? What got you thinking all Plato-y?" He asked.

"Nothing." Spencer shook her head. "I just realized that if I want to be with you while I'm here, that I can't physically be attached to anything in Rosewood. It just won't work. So, I'm just going to be me. And you are going to be you. And that's all we need to know for the moment."

"I like that." Spencer could hear the smile in Toby's voice. "So, tomorrow, then?" He asked.

Spencer smiled. "Tomorrow." She said.

**Hey guys! Ya, bet you thought Spence was going to break things off again, huh? But, as a wise shopaholic once said (very recently ;) ) "Never underestimate the power of love." Ya, I hate the parents, too ;) It seems as thought parents are a strain in every TV show. :/ Gotta warn you, some future chs will be...sad :/ Sorry! But I promise a happy ending! I already wrote the epilogue...I'm so out of order. And remember that later chs will be rated between T and M.**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	13. Chapter 12: Day 6 slash 7

12:

"I really am sorry." Melissa's voice came from the doorway. "I didn't know…I didn't think she'd look through my phone. I forgot to delete the texts."

Spencer turned to face her sister. She looked horribly sad, like all the life had been drained from her face.

"It's not your fault, Melissa." Spencer sighed empathetically. "I wish that there was some way I could blame it on someone else, but it was my fault. I'm the stupid one who believed that love could exist without complication."

"It's not stupid." Melissa shook her head, entering the room. "It's real. If anything, it's the most real thing you have in your life."

"Yeah. You're right. It is." Spencer half-smiled. She turned back to her bed and continued shoveling her textbook into her book bag. "Which is why I'm not going to let this get in the way."

"What?" Spencer could almost hear Melissa's eyebrows shoot up. "I mean, I know you want to, Spencer, but Mom and dad are going to be on hyper-alert mode now that they know."

"I know. Which means I'll just have to be extra careful."

"Well how do you suppose you sneak out?"

"I don't know. Guess I'll just have to be creative."

* * *

><p>She had just signed the page <em>With Love, Spencer<em> when she heard the sound. Like some soft banging on the window. She jumped and grasped for her pillow as her heart skipped a beat. God. What time was it? She turned to peer at the clock perched on her nightstand. 12:03 a.m.

She heard the banging again, happening behind her closed curtains. She had a moment of panic as a thought washed over her: A? Could it be? No. Could it?

Her heart hammered in her chest and she resisted the urge to climb beneath the covers. She was anything but a coward. As she reached for the curtains with shaking fingertips, her cell phone buzzed. She whirled around, grasping it in her palm and flashing a look at the caller ID. She let out a breath.

Toby.

Just the thought of him made her feel safer.

She pressed TALK. "Toby?"

"Look out your window." His soft, low voice murmured in her ear.

With one eyebrow raised in suspicion, Spencer nudged the curtains aside and peered out the window. She squinted her eyes before they went as wide as saucers.

"What are you – ?"

He chucked softly on the other line. "Surprise."

"How did you…?"

"Know that you were awake? Please, you asleep before one a.m. with the possibility of homework being done? Never." He teased.

There, standing out in the stretch of lawn beside the dirt path to the house, was Toby, dressed in his beaten-up jeans and navy t-shirt.

"I thought I texted you earlier – I said that I would meet you later tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow." She could see his smile even in the cloudy darkness.

"When I said that, I meant…oh what's the use?" Spencer shook her head. "So now I guess you expect me to pull a Juliet and climb out my window into your arms?"

"Hmm…that would be preferable, yes. Considering the fact that going through the front door would wake up your entire family."

"I look like shit."

"That is the biggest lie I've ever heard."

"You can hardly even see me!"

"So? It's still impossible."

"I'm in sweats and a t-shirt."

"I still don't get what the problem is…" She could hear the smile in his voice.

"So you really want me to go out with you? Right now? While looking like this?"

"Yes, right now. Looking as perfect as always."

Spencer snorted softly, before laughing. "You are _crazy_, Toby Cavanaugh."

"Crazy about you."

"And corny."

"I know."

Spencer shook her head.

"Why are you still up there? Come on! Out the window you go!" Toby grinned.

Spencer carefully pushed her curtains aside, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she slowly unbolted the locks and pushed the window open. "You are still crazy." She muttered. "Just let me change into some jeans and shoes."

"Fine. I'll wait."

Spencer hung up the phone as she pulled the curtains closed over the gaping window and stumbled in the dark to locate her raggedy jeans and old sneakers. Once she had succeeded in putting them on without making too much noise, she placed two pillows beneath her blankets and opened the curtains once more.

"You're lucky that this window isn't very high, because there would be a serious medical bill when I fell." She said once Toby was in earshot. He had approached the house and was reaching upward for her hand.

She swung her leg through the window and then the other, so that she was sitting on the windowsill. Toby reached his arms upward and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes tight.

"Do you trust me?" Toby murmured softly.

"Of course."

"Then don't be afraid. I'll catch you."

She opened her eyes and took a deep breath again. With effort, she pushed herself off the ledge and fell down into open air. In a matter of seconds, she felt Toby's strong arms around her waist, before she hit the ground. She sighed, her heart still thudding in her chest.

"Hi." She said with a breathless smile.

"Hey." He grinned. He was still holding her suspended above the ground and then he carefully set her down on her feet.

"Good catch." She whispered.

"Shh…." He said softly. His hands her already sliding into her hair, moving closer. She closed her eyes as his warm lips captured hers. She kissed him back softly, her hand coming to rest on his cheek. He angled his head, kissing her deeper for a moment before pulling back – much too soon.

She shook her head. "I could turn into someone more romantic than Nicholas Sparks and you would still outdo me, Romeo." She teased. The tip of his nose rested on hers as he laughed softly.

"It's a gift."

"It sure is."

"You don't have to be romantic for me, Spence. Just being here with you is more than enough. I just want to make it worth your while."

Spencer shook her head, laughing with the pure craziness of his statement.

"What?" He asked, drawing back an inch and arching an eyebrow.

"You don't get it." She shook her head. "Just being with _you_…that's worth my while."

"Hmm...You may be a romantic after all, Ms. Hastings." Toby chuckled.

"Maybe you're wearing off on me."

"I like it. Romantic _is_ a good color on you."

"Better than these sweats?"

"Stop that. You know I like you best in your "lazy" clothes." Toby smiled, one finger sliding down the line of her neck, to the collar of her t-shirt.

She shivered softly. "Now who's the romantic?"

* * *

><p>"And which one's that one?" Toby asked her.<p>

"Uhm…Orion's Belt." Spencer nodded with certainty.

They were lying out in Toby's truck bed, on their backs, arms folded behind their heads. Toby had laid out a few layers of blankets and pillows for padding. The night sky was extremely clear, the stars gleaming high above them as the low rumble of the radio played behind Toby's head.

It was just like old times – except that they had decided that there weren't going to be any pretenses. Just Spencer and Toby. Not Spencer-Hastings-Who-Has-A-Killer-On-Her-Tail and Toby-Cavanaugh-Who-Went-To-Jail-For-Being-Accused-Of-Killing-Alison-DiLaurentis. Just Spencer and Toby.

Toby squinted his soft baby blues as he peered up at the line of stars. "Oh yeah. I see it now."

Spencer nodded. "Uh-huh. And that's Sirius." Spencer pointed to another grouping of stars.

"Never thought star-gazing would be this entertaining." Toby smiled. Spencer turned her head, looking at him.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, for one, looking at groupings of hot orbs of gas in the sky isn't at the top of _anyone's _to-do list."

"Does it have to be on the to-do list to make the cut of what's entertaining?" Spencer asked.

"No, I guess not." Toby shook his head. "But you were right. They are quite something."

"Yeah." Spencer smiled, letting her fingertip trace imaginary lines connecting the stars in front of her. "How's the truck been holding up?"

"Gotta admit – she hasn't been the same without you." Toby replied.

Spencer laughed softly. "Well, she must be feeling better now."

"Oh, much." Toby nodded in faux reassurance.

Spencer giggled. "Hey, why do we always call things 'she's'? She asked. Trucks, boats, anything really."

"Because it makes them more appealing." Toby responded automatically.

"How so?"

Toby rolled onto his elbow to face her. She peered up at him. "Well, the woman is the ultimate desire. Built like nothing else." He murmured softly. His eyes followed the line of his touch as his fingertips began to move down the contours of her arm. She shivered, her eyelids falling shut.

"You better stop that." Spencer advised, a small smile playing on her lips. "You'll make me never want to go home."

"Don't you know that that's the idea?" Toby joked, pushing hair softly from her face. Spencer laughed.

"So, listen, about earlier…the reason I was so…philosophical I guess was that…I realized that if I wanted to make this work with you, at least for the time being, that we just can't have a past. We just can't hold onto it if there's any chance of us being together."

Toby listened intently, nodding when she was finished. "Alright." He said. "That sounds accurate. I'm fine with forgetting about my past."

"So am I."

"Then it's settled – no pretenses. No nothing. I'll just be Toby. And you can be Spencer. That sounds about right, don't you think?"

"Perfect."

He smirked, sliding his arm beneath her and pulling her against his chest. She snuggled into him, tucking her head beneath his chin. His hand stroked her hair softly, down her back. She let out a content breath and closed her eyes.

"I want to stay. Just like this. Forever." She sighed.

In response, Toby held her a little tighter. "I know. Me too."

"I wish we had that long."

"That doesn't matter. We have right now. Isn't that enough?"

Spencer nodded. "It is."

He kissed her forehead gently. "Good."

* * *

><p>When Toby had walked her home as the sun rose over the horizon, the day just peaking 5:30 a.m., Spencer kissed him slowly in the doorway.<p>

Toby asked where her parents were upon seeing the absence of their car in the driveway.

Spencer replied that they left early this morning – told Melissa to 'keep an eye on her' while they took an early morning drive to look at beach houses for sale about a half-hour away. As if the lake house wasn't enough, they need another house to waste their money on.

"Get some sleep." Toby told her. He apologized for keeping her out so late, but she had shaken her head.

"It was worth it." She said. "Thank you."

He kissed her one last time before leaving, holding onto her fingers as long as he could as he walked away.

Spencer bit her lip, sighing and pulling her key out of the pocket of her pajama pants. She entered the house quietly, making her way upstairs without waking Melissa.

Once she reached her comfortable bedroom – bed rumpled from the night before – she sat down on her bed and reached for the leather-bound journal.

And, as always, she began with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_I know it seems impossible to count on anything with all of the chaos that is happening. _

_But what's on between us…it's real. I know it._

_And I won't give up just yet._

_So you'll be Just Toby._

_And I'll be Just Spencer._

_And we'll go from there._

_With Love,_

_Spencer_

**Hey guys! Sorry about the gap in updating. Mondays ep was kinda hard on me. Honestly, I didnt think I had this happy ch in me. Thank you yo my Spobettes for helping me thru this - especially Bree who bestowed the honor of naming the Spoby baby "AJ" on me. 3 Let's all try to hang in there! 3 Live. Love. Spoby - AJ**_  
><em>


	14. Chapter 13: Day 7

13:

Day 7:

"Yeah, sounds great, Dad. Alright, bye." Melissa said into the receiver and hung up her cell phone.

"What did Dad say?" Spencer inquired, taking a sip of her coffee.

"He and Mom are going to stay up there for lunch – found a nice restaurant down the street from the beach houses." She responded. The two sisters were curled up on lawn chairs on the shore, their toes grazing the water as the tide rose and fell.

"How far are they away?" Spencer's floppy hat rippled in the light breeze.

"They said about a half-hour's worth of a drive away." Melissa replied. "I'll ask when they are coming home." She reached for her cell phone, but a second later it made a dinging sound. "Ugh! Dammit. My cell died. Can I borrow yours?"

"Yeah, sure." Spencer replied lazily, handing it to her without much thought. Her legs were draped over the arm of the chair and, within seconds, she was in full relax mode.

Melissa took it from her and began to go through the contacts as Spencer's eyes drooped shut.

"Uh, why is Wren in your recent calls?" Melissa asked, her voice full of suspicion. Spencer's eyes shot open, and she bolted into an upright position so fast that a shot of pain coursed through her lower back.

"I…" Spencer stumbled for an answer. But then she realized something: she and Melissa didn't have to lie to each other anymore. She sighed. "Alright, here's the truth: Wren called me yesterday."

Melissa's eyebrow arched as she waited for Spencer to continue.

"He claimed that he was worried about my wellbeing after the police report, but in reality, he just wanted a date." Spencer shrugged.

"And what did you say?" Melissa asked.

"That I was with someone else. And then he asked if it "was the carpenter" again, too which I replied that it was none of his business."

"Good. It isn't." Melissa agreed. "And that was all?"

"Pretty much. I rendered him speechless and he hung up on me, but I'd say it was worth it to get my point across."

Melissa laughed. "Good for you."

Spencer laughed but then sighed. A beat of silence. She opened her mouth again. "You know, Melissa, I never told you something."

"What?" Her sister cocked her head to the side.

"After…well, right after I broke up with Toby, before we got arrested…Wren…he drove me home and listened to me. I'm thankful to him for that – or at least I was at the time. But then…he kissed me. And, looking back on it, I think that that was the only reason he listened. Because he wanted that kiss." Spencer sighed. "Just like when he called yesterday. He pretends to care. But really doesn't."

"Yep." Melissa got a faraway look in her eyes. "It was all ulterior motives with him…I remember it well."

"But anyway, I'm really sorry about Wren."

Melissa nodded. "It's okay. I understand."

Spencer sighed. "Even if it could work out between us…I could never be with Wren. It would just hurt too much knowing what it would do to you."

Melissa smiled wryly. "Thanks." She looked at the ocean and then back at Spencer. "So how did Wren react when he found out it was Toby? Was he mad? Do you think that him and Toby will ever meet? If they do…wow. I don't even want to think about that World War III."

"Yeah, well, that probably won't happen if I have anything to say about it. Toby may be a carpenter, but that doesn't mean he has to deal with tools all the time."

Melissa burst out laughing. "I love you, sis."

"I know. Me too." Spencer smiled.

* * *

><p>"Okay, if we are going to make this work, I don't know how much longer I'm going to have to keep climbing out of windows until they start calling me Juliet." Spencer murmured as Toby set her safely on the ground.<p>

Toby laughed softly. "I'll have you home earlier this time – I promise."

"I'm going to need beauty rest. The wedding is tomorrow. Oh crap. The wedding is _tomorrow_, Toby." Spencer's eyes went wide.

"Shh…" Toby soothed her. "You don't need beauty rest."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Alright, Romeo. Just take me to whatever wonderfully romantic _Nights in Rodanthe _plan you have for us."

"No, no. No plan tonight. I thought we'd play it by ear." Toby said, sliding his hand down her arm so that his fingers could lace with hers as they left her open window and continued down the dirt road toward Toby's beach house.

"Really? How very…fairy-talish of you." Spencer teased.

"Really?" Toby arched an eyebrow mischievously. In one fluid motion, he bent down, and suddenly the ground was spinning. The next thing she knew, she was in Toby's arms, him carefully supporting her. "How's that for fairy tale?"

"Very thorough." Spencer nodded approvingly. "Hmmm…cut through here." She told him, nodding in the direction of the alleyway two neighboring beach houses made.

"Why?"

"Because now it's my turn to do something thoroughly." Spencer said. "Hop to it – cut through here onto the beach."

"Yes ma'am." Toby nodded and obeyed, walking through the crevice between the houses. When he hit the sand behind the back porches, he carefully kicked off his sneakers. Spencer toed off her slippers watching them drop to the ground behind them as Toby continued to carry her across the beach.

"Go to the shore." Spencer murmured in his ear. Once they reached the tide, she got down from his arms and ran for the waves, kicking her way through the shore until the water puddled at her ankles. She closed her eyes and spread her arms, lifting her face towards the moonlight. She sighed, drinking in the feel.

She felt Toby's arms encircle her waist and she sighed, leaning back against him and wrapping her arms around his neck behind her. "This is the life." She muttered.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Spencer smiled and opened her eyes, turning in his arms to kiss his cheek. "You do know that we can't be all…"

"Romantic?" Toby add-libbed.

"Right. We can't be all romantic at the wedding tomorrow. Someone…will suspect something."

Toby's smile faded but he nodded. "Yeah, I know." He sighed.

"I know." Spencer said empathetically. "I wish that things could be different but…"

"Hey." Toby cupped her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. "It's okay. That doesn't matter now. We have this moment, right now, and that's all that matters."

Spencer smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss him softly. He kissed her back, his warm lips enveloping hers gently. She sighed, her head filling with the sweetness of his breath as she breathed him in, throwing herself into the kiss with too much enthusiasm. Toby's heel sank into the sand as he pulled her up so that her legs could wrap around his torso, causing them to tumble backward into the damp sand, she on top of him. They giggled softly, and Toby reached up to brush some hair from her face, before cupping the back of her neck softly and pulling her in for another kiss.

Spencer felt his tongue trace the curve of her lower lip and she shivered as his hands roamed her back. She raked her fingers through his hair, moaning softly as the kiss deepened. His hands wrapped so tight around her she feared her ribs might break, but at the moment, she didn't mind. Her mind was otherwise occupied with the thought of how good it felt to have him in her arms again, able to kiss him whenever she wished.

A little nagging voice spoke up in the back of her mind and Spencer sighed as they broke apart, knowing that going too far might result in more bad than good if the wedding was only a mere ten hours away.

She rolled off him, onto her back beside him in the cool sand. They lay there for a few moments, trying to catch their breath and staring up at the night sky.

"You know what's the best part about this place?" Spencer asked once she could breathe normally.

"What?" Toby asked, his arm sliding beneath her and tucking her against him like he had done the night before.

"That it feels like the rest of the world doesn't exist. It all just falls away. And living in the moment becomes the most important thing."

"It's magical here." Toby agreed. "It always has been."

"Will you promise me something?" Spencer asked after a moment of silence.

"Anything."

"I know that you don't like to talk about this, but I just have to be sure."

"Spence?"

She rolled onto her elbow to look at him. "If anything ever happens to me…if something happens and we can't be together or I…disappear somehow…promise me that you'll move on."

"What? Spencer – " Toby's eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"No, Toby. I need you to promise me that. I need you to promise that you will keep looking for love. You deserve someone to love you forever. Without any conditions. And frankly, you deserve so much better than me."

"Don't say that." Toby murmured, shaking his head. "It's not true."

"You may not think so, but…" Spencer shook her head. "That doesn't matter now. I just need you to promise me that."

"You say it like you're going to go somewhere. Soon." Toby said, his voice condensed with fear.

"I'm not. At least, I'm not planning to." Spencer looked deep into his eyes. "Please. Promise me." She whispered.

Toby sighed and took a deep breath. "I promise."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled, settling against him once more. Her eyes fell shut and he resumed stroking her hair and down her back.

"Don't ever make me do something like that again." Toby said softly. "The thought of living in world that you aren't in…it seems like the worst possible thing for me."

"It wouldn't be." Spencer shook her head.

"But it would." Toby disagreed. "And Spencer, about what you made me promise…I honestly can't imagine falling in love with anyone else."

Spencer thought that that must be the definition of love: feeling something so great that nothing could ever come close to it. That you can't imagine ever falling in love again after them.

"Me neither." Spencer said honestly. And she couldn't. Wren, Ian, Alex…none of them had come close to caring for her like Toby. With Toby, she didn't need to pretend. She could be herself, completely and wholly, and be confidant that that's just who he wanted her to be.

"Toby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

"Of course." Toby said automatically. "You know I do. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever. Sometimes, that's the only thing I'm sure of."

"Then it doesn't matter what happens to us when we get back to Rosewood. If you love me, even for only this moment, then it's enough. It'll always be enough."

She felt Toby's lips brush her hair so softly, a gentle caress. "You're right."

She sighed. "My nana used to say 'If wishes were fishes, we'd all take a swim.'"

Toby chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah." Spencer smiled at the memory. "And she was right. I'm going to stop wishing for things to be different. I'm going to stop pining for a life I probably will never have. Because, the hard truth is, my life is anything but easy. It'll always be complicated. But if my life were perfect, I would have never had the opportunity to find myself on your porch that day. And it wouldn't be my life without you in it. Even if there are some things I wish I could change, it wouldn't be worth it if I had to change anything regarding you. So I'm going to learn something. I have to learn that wishing will get me nowhere. And you know what they say about hope. It – "

"Breeds eternal misery." Toby finished for her. She moved her head so that she could rest her chin on his chest and peer up at him.

"Yeah." Spencer raised an eyebrow. "How did you know that?"

"I heard you say it." Toby smiled. "In seventh grade."

"What?" Spencer asked. "How? When?"

"Your presentation on the Mayflower. Seventh grade history."

"With Mrs. Parks!" Spencer remembered.

"You remember?"

"Yeah! Now I do." Spencer shook her head. "Yeah, we had to do a group presentation and my group picked a play. And I quoted that, huh?"

"Yep." Toby smiled and nodded. "I remember being that doofy kid I used to be." He chuckled at the memory. "But those words really got to me. They were just so…tragically truthful."

"It's the hard truth." Spencer agreed. "If you set yourself up with so much hope, everything will be a let down." Spencer said. "That's why I decided to do this. This just being us thing. No expectations. No past. That way, we will be able to appreciate everything that is thrown at us this week."

"I already appreciate everything regarding you." Toby smiled. "I don't mean to sound corny. But I mean it." He said.

"Well, same to you, my hopeless romantic." Spencer giggled. She checked Toby's watch. "Wow. It's almost three a.m."

"And the wedding is in less than ten hours." Toby agreed. He sighed. "Guess I better get you home."

"I guess we have to pretend like we're total strangers at the wedding." Spencer let out a breath.

"Come on, it's not so bad." Toby grinned, wrapping his arms tighter around her and pulling her higher up his chest so her lips could brush ever-so-slightly over his. "The forbidden fruit tastes the best." He smiled and his cool breath tickled her face. She kissed him softly for a moment before pulling back.

She pulled herself up onto her knees, grabbing Toby's hand and tugging him upward into a sitting position. "Alright, come on, Romeo. Better get some beauty rest because we have a Capulet party to crash."

* * *

><p>Later that night, after Toby had kissed her goodnight and helped lift her through her window once more, she pulled out the journal again.<p>

And, as she had done for the past week, she began with _Dear Toby_.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_You've taught me more in this week then I have learned in thirteen years of school. _

_You've taught me how to have no regrets, to trust in myself, and, above all, to love with all my heart._

_No one else could have taught me that. Thank you so much._

_Weddings are a symbol for new beginnings. And tomorrow, with the joining of those two people who love each other happening, I can't help think of how much that actually applies to us. New beginnings._

_That's what we have. _

_And even though we only have six days left…I wouldn't wish for anything different._

_If wishes were fishes, we'd all take a swim._

_With Love,_

_Spencer_

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Thanks so much for the great reviews! As always, I want to give a shout out to my lovely Spobettes who always help me thru the rough spots! :) Oh my Lord, the wedding is the next ch. I'm going to split it into two chapters - the first the ceremony and the second the reception. I'm staying strong and I'm so proud of myself. Because we were promised a happy ending. And by golly, we'll get one! :) Because "True love conquers all" ;) And thanks so much to my real grandmother, who has been deceased for a while now, for supplying me with that lovely quote. It's so truthful. It helps me live my life to the fullest. So I'm not going to wish that Spoby will be back together today, or tomorrow, or the day after that. Because if it's meant to be (and it IS), then it will work out in the end. In the wise words of Chuck Bass "Two people who are meant to be together...eventually they'll find their way back." ;) Oh Dramione fanfic first and second ch to be posted momentarily! :)<strong>

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**_  
><em>


	15. Chapter 14: Day 8

14:

"When I get married, I'm not going to go through all of this crap." Spencer shook her head as she watched Melissa zip up her horribly ostentatious, color-me-disgusting bridesmaid dress.

"Well, are you sure that your hopeless romantic will be okay skipping all the romantics?" Melissa asked with a knowing smile as she blotted her lipstick in the mirror.

"My homeless romantic?" Spencer's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Melissa looked at her skeptically through the mirror.

"Oh, Toby?" Spencer laughed. She rolled her eyes. "Toby won't mind. Besides, who says I'm marrying Toby?"

"You. In your hopes and dreams." Melissa giggled as she reached for her earrings.

Spencer blushed and smiled. "I do not dream about that! And even if I did, well, so what if I think about how nice it would be to pick out that…perfect white dress and walk down the aisle with Aria, Hanna, and Emily behind me?" Spencer's voice dropped, as her words became a direct line from her thoughts, the filter between breaking. "And then maybe…you know, listening to Toby say those incredible vows that I know will sound like they are straight from _The Notebook_ because if I know anything about Toby it's that he's a sucker for a romantic gesture, and then I'll say something with too many big words and the audience will be totally lost but Toby will understand because that's just how – "

"Spence. You're drooling." Melissa giggled, shaking her head.

"Sorry." Spencer shook her head to snap herself out of the trance.

"Listen, I know that you and Toby are in that puppy-love stage again, but you really can't be too lovey-dovey at the wedding." Melissa warned, pining up her last curl and turning to look at her sister, who stood in the doorway of the bathroom. "How do I look?"

"Like Hello Kitty's demented sister. But your face is beautiful." Spencer smiled. "And I know, I know. Toby and I talked about it last night."

"Last night?" Melissa arched an eyebrow. "When? I was with you up until you went to bed."

Spencer pressed her lips together and stared at her feet.

Melissa's lips formed an "O" "Did you sneak out with him?"

Spencer shrugged and opened her mouth. "I…maybe?"

"Maybe? There is no 'maybe', Spence." Melissa shook her head.

"Alright, alright. I did. I snuck out with Toby. Just…don't tell Mom and Dad." Spencer said.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Melissa shook her head. "Alright, hop to it. You need to get in your own dress."

"I honestly hate the dress that Mom picked out for me." Spencer groaned truthfully. "She said it would match the bridesmaids and blend in but…"

A slow smile spread across Melissa's face.

"What?" Spencer asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Melissa, no way. Why did you bring this dress?" Spencer asked. The two sisters were in Melissa's bedroom, shuffling through her closet.<p>

"Well, at the time we didn't know if they had enough room for me to be a bridesmaid. But one of Annie's friends got sick and I got to fill in for her. I was originally going to wear this. But now you are." Melissa grinned widely.

"Melissa…I can't. You paid so much for this dress." Spencer shook her head.

"You can and you will." Melissa said, thrusting the plastic-wrapped dress at her. "Screw blending in. You need to stand out and turn heads."

Spencer laughed, "Alright. Let's see what this baby can do."

* * *

><p>"Spencer Hastings, you look stunning." Aria said into her laptop. Spencer had Skyped her after finishing getting ready. "Twirl for me!" Aria encouraged.<p>

Spencer laughed and set the laptop on her nightstand, beside the journal, and got to her feet, stepping back to do a little twirl in the dress.

"So Melissa really let you wear the dress?" Aria asked. The teeny black-haired groundee was sitting cross-legged on her bed, painting her toenails plum purple.

Spencer looked down at the dress. "Yeah." She said. The dress was rose-red and strapless, empire-waisted with a skirt that descended to her mid-thigh, hugging her body perfectly, without being tight.

"Wow. Me-ow. Toby is going to be all over you." Aria giggled.

"Shh!" Spencer exclaimed, her hand clamping down on the keyboard. "Not so loud. My parents don't know I'm seeing him." She whispered.

"Oh. Sorry!" Aria apologized, biting her lip.

"It's alright. Anyway, speaking of clueless parents, have yours found out about starts-with-an-e-and-ends-with-an-a? You're still using Holden to see him, right?" Spencer asked.

"Shh!" Aria scolded. "Not so loud! They don't know."

Spencer laughed. "Then I guess we are in the same boat."

"Sure looks that way." Aria smiled. Off-screen, Aria's cell beeped. "Oh. That's probably Holden. We are 'going out' for lunch today." She said, putting air-quotes around the words.

"Alright, well thanks for much for the approval." Spencer smiled. "I have to get going anyway – gotta be early for the wedding."

"Good luck, Spence." Aria grinned. "Try not to be falling over Romeo too hard today."

"Why does everyone automatically believe that we have a storybook romance?" Spencer asked, rolling her eyes.

"Because, it's you Spence. You wouldn't settle for anything less."

* * *

><p>"You look perfect, Annie." Veronica said for the fifth time since the bridesmaids (plus Spencer) had entered the dressing room.<p>

"Really?" Annie beamed.

"Really." Spencer smiled. She didn't usually speak when the women were squawking about how beautiful weddings were, but on that day…she didn't know, she just felt a feeling of calmness.

Oh gosh. Look at what that boy was doing to her? Making her like weddings and romance.

"Thank you, Spencer." Annie smiled meaningfully.

"You're welcome." Spencer grinned back. She turned to her mother and Melissa. "Alright, I'm going to go find a seat next to Dad. You all look great – break a leg out there!" She waved goodbye as she slowly backed out of the room and into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

She hadn't made it two feet down the hall towards the main church entrance when she felt an arm wrap around her from behind, trapping her against a body. Out of habit, her heart began to sputter at the surprise, until a low voice murmured in her ear.

"Gotcha."

"Toby!" Spencer whisper-yelled, turning in his arms to face him. "What are you doing? My mother is in that dressing room." She said, pointing to the door.

"She won't see." Toby shook his head. "I just wanted to talk to you beforehand."

"I thought we discussed this last night."

"We did. But last night you weren't wearing this dress so I wasn't able to tell you how stunning you look." His gentle fingers caressed the curve of her hip down to her waist.

Spencer shivered softly. "But I mean it. We are going to pull an Alex and Kate and pretend like we live in two different worlds"

"Well, they didn't really have to pretend…"

"But we do. That's the point. People will be watching." Spencer said.

Toby's soft smile widened as he looked over his shoulder and then back at her. "Well, no one's around to watch us now, right?" He said mischievously. He leaned in and kissed her softly for a moment.

When he pulled back, Spencer smiled. "You know, you are a _very_ bad influence on me, Toby Cavanaugh." She said, poking him in the chest. "I'm at a wedding. And I'm actually _enjoying_ it."

Toby chuckled. "Weddings are supposed to be enjoyable, Spence. There's something truly magical about celebrating love and nothing _but_ love. If we don't have love in our lives, then what else are we supposed to live for?"

Spencer smiled, "Been reading up on your Shakespeare, I see." She teased.

"You know I like to stay up-to-date." He teased back. "But really, Spence. This didn't come from some play or book. It's true. And even you know it." He said in that sweet, 'you silly girl' tone he used every so often.

"Maybe so, but…" For the first time since he had found her, Spencer noticed how he was dressed. "Wow. Don't you clean up nice?" She noted.

Toby grinned, his soft eyes addressing her, "Well, it isn't everyday that I get to pull out the suit and tie. I like to be thorough."

"I've realized that." Spencer smiled. She stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Alright, away with you. Maybe if we're lucky I'll be willing to channel my inner Juliet again and jump out the window tonight. You'll catch me?"

Toby tucked a piece of hair behind her, "Always."

* * *

><p>"Annie looks great." Peter murmured in Spencer's ear. Spencer nodded and smiled. Her aunt was standing on the altar, holding hands with her soon-to-be husband, finishing her vows. Annie's eyes filled with tears. Spencer's gaze wandered to her mother and sister, who were teary-eyed as well, along with Elif and Jenn.<p>

Spencer looked at Melissa, who looked the most solemn of them all. Poor Melissa. She knew that this must be hard for her, seeing a marriage happen when in fact hers was a total disaster and now she was pregnant with a dead "killer's" child.

She wished that she could be up there to put a hand on her shoulder, to be there for her sister like Melissa had done for her lately. She made a mental note to comfort her later on.

She turned her attention back on the bride and groom and Mitchell professed his own vows and the priest opened his mouth and spoke the words that every wedding is famous for:

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And as they kissed, and the crowd erupted in cheers, Spencer looked over her shoulder at Toby, who was sitting across the church beside his father, looking much too Greek-godlike in his suit and tie. He smiled his amazing crooked smile at her and she sighed.

He was right. There was something about weddings that was truly magical.

And what really was life, if you couldn't have love in it?

**Alright loves :) so the reception party is next chapter ;) Only about...five-seven chapters until my epilogue. I've already written the epilogue oddly enough ;) haha**

**Hold on darlings ;) Because there will be a "Kick-ass Spoby finale kiss" 3**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	16. Chapter 15: Day 8

15:

"And Annie was beside me the whole time." Veronica concluded with a sincere smile. "So, Annie, I just want to thank you for being the best sister any girl could ask for. I love you more than life itself. You are my light and my best friend. I'm so glad that you found someone who will love you as much as I do. And I think I speak for everyone when I say: Mitchell – welcome to the family." She raised her glass of champagne in the air. The crowd of guests in various tables in the audience followed suit, letting out a chorus of applause as Veronica said, "Cheers to the couple of the year – Annie and Mitchell!"

Spencer smiled as her mom got off the stage and the DJ behind her started to play a low tune as Annie approached her from the head table to wrap her sister in a hug.

Spencer felt Melissa's hand grasp hers beneath the table and squeeze gently. She squeezed back, smiling at her. Thankfully, they could both follow in their mother and aunt's footsteps of sisterhood.

Veronica had done a fantastic job with the reception. It was almost as if it were pulled out of a movie. Spencer looked around and admired her mother's work. They had put out a large platform on the sand of the beach, covering it with a tarp roof but leaving the sides open to see the rushing waves. The dozens of round tables were swathed in white tablecloths with golden candlesticks on each one. A stage occupied the far left side, with a DJ and a microphone in case someone else wanted to make a speech about the lovely newlyweds.

At the head table, Spencer was seated with her mother, father, sister, Annie, Mitchell, and the rest of the bridesmaids along with Spencer grandparents.

She peered over her shoulder as nonchalantly as she could, and searched until her gaze found what it was seeking: Toby. He was sitting beside his father and a few of Mitchell's other friends at a table a couple down from her own. She turned her head before he could catch her eye – she knew that the temptation to keep looking would be too much to overcome.

She bit her lip as she smiled and looked over at her mother, who was taking her seat. "Great speech, Mom." She congratulated her. Annie sat down again beside her, trying the fit her sheered Vera Wang wedding dress beneath the table.

"In honor of the lovely couple," The DJ said into the microphone, "I would like to invite them to be the first to dance."

The crowd erupted in cheers as Mitchell smiled and got to his feet, extending his hand to his new wife. They got up and stepped onto the middle of the dance floor.

"This is a little tune that Mitchell has picked out for Annie." The DJ grinned as well as he started to play a soft song that Spencer recognized from one of her and Hanna's favorite movies – _Bridget Jones' Diary._

The crowd cheered once more and Spencer applauded as the two began to sway to the music.

_"I've been searching a long time for someone exactly like you…_"

"Feel free to join in, you other lovebirds out there." The DJ said once the song had reached its first chorus. "Annie and Mitchell requested for their friends to dance with them."

A few couples got up from the midst of the tables at his consent, walking onto the dance floor, where they began to move to the beat of the song once more.

"Veronica." Peter grinned at his wife. "Will you give me the honor?" He asked.

Spencer's mom laughed – a laugh that Spencer didn't even know that she was even capable of. It was so odd to think that her parents were once as lovey-dovey as she and Toby were.

They clasped hands and joined the other couples on the dance floor. Spencer sighed as the remainder of the bridesmaids found their husbands and merged into the sea of dancers, along with her grandparents.

She looked over at Melissa, opening her mouth to speak, but her words were cut off by a voice she didn't think she would hear in a long, _long_ time – especially not here.

"Spencer?"

Melissa's eyes went wide as well as they both whirled around in their chairs to see Wren standing behind them, dressed in a suit and tie.

"Wren? What…what are you doing here?" Melissa asked, flabbergasted.

Spencer was too stunned to speak.

"Well, I was trying to find a better way to tell you both but…I was invited to attend the wedding."

"What? How do you even know Mitchell and Annie?" Spencer asked. This had to be some sort of joke. There was no way that things could be _this_ coincidental.

"Well, I was going to tell you when I called the other day, Spencer." He turned to her, "But…you didn't seem to want to hear my voice at all, so…"

"You still aren't explaining how you got yourself invited." Melissa said.

"I'm getting to that." Wren said.

"Then get to it." Spencer snapped.

Wren looked a little taken aback but pressed on anyway. "Well, you see, I didn't expect it either. Mitchell had been a new patient of mine. He had seen me a few times about a condition he has had since he was a child – not anything major. But, oddly enough, last week I received a last-minute invitation in the mail to his wedding. I recognized Annie's last name and stopped by your house to see if you were attending as well – "

"Of course we'd attend." Melissa said.

Wren sighed. "I know, I just…never mind. Anyway, so I was going to tell you but I didn't get the chance. I figured that I could just…explain things when I got here."

"So you just came? Without telling us?" Spencer asked.

"Well, I was hoping it would give me a chance to see – "

Spencer's phone beeped and Wren was cut off. He let out a breath of annoyance as she riffled through her purse on the table and fished it out, checking the message. Her heart thudded to a stop when she read the words:

_I may not be able to keep tabs on you while you are off in fantasyland, but that doesn't mean I cant throw a few black flies in your chardonnay. Ironic how things work out, huh? ;) –A._

_ "_Spence?" Melissa asked. Her voice sounded like it was a million miles away.

Spencer immediately shoved her phone back into her purse, her heart still pounding a mile a minute. _A had sent Wren that invite?_ How the hell was that bitch _that_ far ahead of her? It was like shim had freaking superpowers.

It didn't matter how far away she was; A could still get to her one way or another.

But A had even said it themself: it was the only thing they could do to ruin it. Nothing more. Not if they wanted to keep tabs on Aria, Hanna, and Emily, too.

"Spence?" Melissa asked again. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Spencer snapped back into reality. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. It was just…Aria." She lied and cleared her throat.

"Right, so as I was saying…" Wren pressed on.

"Wren?" Melissa interrupted. "Will you dance with me?" She asked, getting to her feet.

Spencer's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she looked at her sister. Melissa gave her a knowing look and suddenly Spencer realized why she was doing it.

It was times like these when Spencer remembered why she truly loved her sister. Melissa was going to dance with Wren – who had pretty much stole her heart and then crushed it in his grasp – just to get him off of Spencer's back so she wouldn't have to deal with him.

Spencer shot her an "I owe you one" look as Wren stared at Melissa, a mask of surprise on his face.

"I…oh, uh, sure." He nodded to Melissa and hesitantly held out his hand to her.

Melissa smiled wryly and peered back at Spencer as he led her to the dance floor.

Spencer let out a breath as she looked around her empty table; the sun was setting against the horizon, illuminating the beach a warm orange. The low flicker of the candle rippled in the slight breeze.

"Like the wolf, I stand alone." She muttered to herself.

She sat there as the song finally drew to a close, but her attention sparked as it melted into the next one.

_"In the silence of the garden…"_

Uh-oh. This was…_her_ song. From _The Lake House._ Which was one of her favorite movies. Which was when –

Before she could even finish her thought, she felt a tap of her shoulder.

She spun and Toby's baby blue eyes caught hers.

Her gaze fell on his outstretched palm. Her lips parted.

"Toby." She said, her voice a warning.

"Spencer." He addressed her calmly, his adorably crooked smile on his face.

"I thought we talked about this…." Spencer whispered, her eyes darting to the other guests. Thankfully, her mother and father were still dancing so they didn't notice. But they would find out, eventually. And A…

"This is your favorite song…" Toby said in a song-songy voice, ignoring her plea.

"Toby…"

"Please, dear saint?"

"Okay, now you are literally _quoting_ Shakespeare…"

"I know. That's how you know that I mean business." He winked at her. "Come on, Spence."

"Everyone will be watching…" Her eyes looked back to her parents again.

"Come on. Take a chance on me." Toby said.

Spencer peered up into his soft, unguarded eyes, and she could help it as her hand extended and slid into his, letting him lift her to her feet. The thoughts of her parents and A flew out of her mind once his touch reached hers.

"Do you trust me?" Toby asked, as he took a step backwards, towards the dance floor.

Spencer laughed softly. "Of course."

He led her onto the floor, into a cluster of couples. Thankfully, none of the people surrounding them were people who would know of the dangerous territory they were crossing.

Toby's and pressed into her lower back, drawing her into him while his other hand clasped hers.

They began to sway softly to the music as the chorus began.

"Listen, Toby…"

"Shh…" Toby smiled, letting go of her waist for a moment so that he could twirl her out before roping her back in, pining her to his side and letting his lips brush against her ear, "Don't talk about that now. This is your song. And you should enjoy it."

Spencer smiled, biting her lip, "Boy, I wonder if I'll ever get the hang of this romantic thing to ever beat you at all."

Toby chuckled, freeing her and bringing them back to their first position with his hand resting on the small of her back, turning them softly in graceful circles. "Don't count on it. I've read up on my Shakespeare. There's no beating me now."

Spencer giggled. Toby rested his forehead on hers and she sighed. Her eyelashes caught in his as she raised her gaze to his ocean eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked as he spun her again.

"For making me see all of this as something beautiful. Without you…love didn't mean much to me. Now…it's everything."

Toby wrapped his arm around her tighter, softly bowing his face to hers, cheek against cheek. Her eyelids fluttered shut as he whispered. "You always knew – you just needed some light to be shed on it."

He softly pressed his lips to the hollow beneath her ear and she sighed. She didn't even think about people seeing them anymore. The sun had finally set and, in the words of Romeo, they had the mask of night to cover them.

Her fingers wandered from Toby's shoulder to the back of his neck as the side of his face pressed softly into her cheek.

"I know you don't want to talk about the future but…I have to say this." She whispered in his ear. Her fingertips slid into his hair. "Even if…something _does_ happen in Rosewood and I can't see you, or if God forbid something happened to me, or even if I tell you to leave me because it's best for you…I'm yours forever. Don't let anyone let you believe otherwise." She murmured, squeezing her eyes shut as tears fogged up her vision.

Toby pulled back for a second and carefully cupped her face, letting his thumbs gently wipe away the tear that was escaping her eye. "I don't even think I need to say how I feel. But I will. I could tell you that I loved you every single moment but…it would never be enough."

Spencer shook her head. "No. It'll always be enough. But even after all those times when I had told you to get lost that I…didn't love you…" The memory burned like fire.

"I didn't believe you. I couldn't. Love like that just…it _can't_ just disappear."

Spencer nodded. "You're right; it never does." She sighed. "Promise me that you'll remember me this way."

"You say that like you're going to go somewhere." Worry lines creased his brow.

Spencer shrugged. "Well who knows? Maybe I might have to."

"Don't say that, Spencer."

"Okay, I won't. But that doesn't mean it's not true."

"Just…be in _this_ moment, okay? Can you do that for me?" Toby asked.

Spencer sniffed and nodded. "Yeah." She smiled.

Toby leaned in and gently kissed her forehead, before drawing her in close again, wrapping his arms around her.

Spencer laughed softly.

"What?" Toby asked.

"I guess I'll have to "deny thy father and refuse thy name' if I no longer want to be a 'Hastings.'" She smiled.

Toby chuckled. "Now who's quoting Shakespeare?"

She sighed and smiled. Spencer leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, cutting off her view from the outside forces of the world as the song drew to a close. She would have years and years to deal with her parents' disapproval. She might not have a moment like this again.

So she decided not to care in that moment. Not about her parents, or Wren, or even A.

Because they didn't matter.

The only two people that mattered were she and Toby.

**Alright lovelies! Finally, the wedding. But that doesnt mean this story is over. Oh, no no no, they still have five days left. And then an epilogue ;)**

**Song list from the wedding: "Someone like You" - Van Morrison; "I Can't Seem to Make You Mine." - The Clientele. (Aka Spoby Dance Song)**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	17. Chapter 16: Day 9

16:

_"Hanna!" Spencer screamed. Her sneakers pounded against the dirt and her heart thudded in her throat._

_ Thorns and thistles scraped her skin as she ran. The trees passed by her in a blur. She could see the light of the Marin's house in front of her. _There it is_. Spencer thought._

_ She pushed her legs faster until she reached Hanna's back door. She bounded onto the porch and reached for the doorknob. "Hanna!" She shrieked. The knob wouldn't budge._

_ No. No, no, no._

_ "Hanna!" Spencer pounded on the door. "Let her go, you bitch!" She screamed, even though her throat was raw and her lungs felt like they were ablaze with fire._

_ She slammed her fist into the glass panes of the door so hard that one of them finally shattered. She reached her hand inside the hole and fumbled for the knob. Once she reached it, she picked at the lock._

_ After a few ties, she got the lock to turn. Stepping back, she pushed the door all the way open and bounded into the house._

_ "Hanna?" The kitchen was completely empty. No Hanna in sight._

_ Spencer's cell phone beeped. _

I'm upstairs! Hurry! – Han

_Spencer gasped, shoving her phone into her pocket and heading for the stairs. She hurried up them, shouting Hanna's name._

_ When she finally reached Hanna's bedroom at the end of the hall, she shoved the door open. "Hanna!"_

_ Her eyes scanned the room, her gaze falling on a dark-haired head seated at Hanna's vanity, facing away from here._

_ "Hanna?"_

_ "They say that true love conquers all, but…" A voice that sent chills of fear down Spencer's spine said. "But you _really_ just don't know when to say it's over, do you, Spencer."_

_ At the last word, the dark-haired figure swiveled in her seat and looked her right in the eyes through her thick black glasses._

_ "Jenna?" Spencer gasped. "But Hanna – "_

_ Jenna chuckled, holding up Hanna's cell phone in her palm, shaking it tauntingly. "Remember, Spencer." She got to her feet, "These violent delights have violent ends. __And in their triumph die, like fire and powder." At the last word, she drew off her glasses and looked at her, face to face, eye to eye, for the first time in years. "Burning yet?" She raised a sinister eyebrow and laughed. "Boys?"_

_ Spencer felt hands close around her upper arms and she gasped. Behind her stood Garrett and Ian, smiling the same wicked smile._

_ All Spencer could do was let out a scream._

_ Before their hands closed over her mouth._

* * *

><p>"Spencer Jill Hastings, answer that damn Skype call on your laptop before I chuck it out the window!" Melissa's voice screamed from down the hall, awakening Spencer.<p>

She bolted upright, in her bed, covered in a cold sweat. She could almost still feel Garrett and Ian's hands around her arms. But Ian was dead. That couldn't be true.

And Jenna…she could _see_.

Spencer grabbed for her laptop and hit the ACCEPT button on the call request she was getting from Hanna.

"What?" Spencer exclaimed. "It's five thirty in the morning!"

But she stopped when she saw Hanna's face. Her eyes were red, blotchy, and rimmed with tears. She sat on her bed, clutching a giant stuffed bear – Spencer remembered Caleb had given it to her for one of their anniversaries.

"Hanna…?" Spencer knit her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

"I…I tried to get a hold of Aria but she's sleeping and Em's out for her run…but…." Hanna gasped, wiping her tears away. "Caleb spent the night in jail."

"What?" Spencer asked, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"Because I let him get too close to A!" Hanna shouted, and then covered her face with her hands. "Remember when I told you that he was doing shady stuff to get money before his foster mom gave him cash?"

"Yeah."

"Well, A tipped off the cops that he was still doing it. And if that wasn't enough, A stole his laptop somehow and put confidential police records on there – to make it look like he had stolen them himself." Hanna sniffed. "They think that he's a threat to their security."

"Security?" Spencer asked. "What the hell?"

"I know!" Hanna cried. "I don't get it either. I haven't gotten to talk to him since last night when he called me from the station. They just kept him there overnight and they let him go this morning, because they don't have any proof that he himself did it but they are keeping a close eye on him. They think…"

"What? You don't think that they think that he's part of Alison's murder, do you?"

"I don't know. It seems that way a little bit. But can you blame them? I mean, we have been the most guilty-looking people around town since the shovel. And now my boyfriend has a knack for hacking into people's things? Looks suspicious."

"A has a way of making us all seem like liars – even the most truthful ones." Spencer said, thinking of Toby back when he was arrested for Ali's murder.

"Look, I just wanted to let you know that." Hanna scrubbed some tears from her eyes. "And I wanted to warn you. I wasn't careful enough with Caleb and now look what's happened. A got to him before I could stop it."

It hit Spencer like a pile of bricks. "A really _can_ do that to anyone we care about." She whispered. "They're not kidding."

As if by some sickly cue, her phone beeped. Spencer's heart sank do her toes as she numbly reached for it.

"Spence? What does it say? Is it…?" Hanna asked, still sniffling.

"'I thought the Romeo and Juliet romance would tire you out, but it seems like you are still going on your little hamster wheel. Be careful, 'For you and Toby are past your dancing days.'" Spencer read, letting out a shaky breath.

Hanna's eyes went wide. "But A…A can't keep tabs on you while you're away! Right?"

"Well it seems like A found a loophole again." Spencer said, peering up into the camera. "And I think I might be planning a Romeo and Juliet ending for me when I get back to Rosewood."

"Spence, what are you saying?" Hanna's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"That if I really want to keep Toby from ending up like Caleb…I'll have to cut things off before we are in A's line of sight."

"Spencer – "

Spencer shook her head. "No. Go tell Emily and Aria. I need to deal with this before I find a reason not to."

_Dear Toby,_

_ Please don't hate me for what I'm about to do. I know that you might not forgive me yet, but I hope that someday, you'll get a chance to see why I have to do it. To understand._

_ Don't come looking for me. We've tried this so many times. And I think it's become more than obvious that I'm easy to persuade. I keep coming back to you. But it isn't fair. Not for either one of us._

_ If all this is going to do is end up being more broken than before, when why are we trying?_

_ But you need to remember what I told you at the wedding: I'm yours. We might be on an ever-changing roller coaster of feelings, but that's one thing that will never change._

_ I'm not doing this because I don't love you. In fact, the very reason I'm doing it is because I love you._

_ Who am I kidding?_

_ I can only fool myself by thinking that I can just be with you and everything will be okay. If it were my choice…I'd be with you forever._

_ But it isn't. Someone else – someone who I hope you will finally be able to know about someday – is making all these choices for me._

_ I'm so scared all the time. That's probably another reason why I fell for you. Because you make me feel safe._

_ I pray that one day I'll be able to be truly safe again, so that we can find each other once more._

_ I'm so sorry._

_ Forgive me._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

__**Hey guys! Sorry about the short chapter - the next one will be longer, I promise. Oh, and heads up, the next chapter is where it gets much more...mature :)**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	18. Chapter 17: Day 9

**WARNING: Mature content ahead. Proceed with caution ;) **

17:

_Knock, knock._

Spencer rapped on the door, taking a deep breath the calm her thudding heart. It was later that night and the sun had surrendered its space to the sky to the moon.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

She could do this. She had done it before. It would hurt, but it would hurt so much worse if anything ever happened to Toby because of A.

That thought kept her from crumbling to bits as Toby opened the door. "Hey." He smiled. "It's a little early, Juliet. Only nine-thirty. The moon's barely risen. Thought we weren't going to…" His eyebrows furrowed and he trailed off when he saw her face. "Spencer, what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you." Spencer stepped back so that she could walk down the steps and along the dirt path that led up to the door.

Toby followed at her heels. "What's wrong?" He asked again. He caught her arm, holding her in place.

Spencer squeezed her eyelids shut as he stepped around her, standing in front of her. "Talk to me, Spence." He put his hand beneath her chin and pulled her face up so that his gaze could meet hers. "Look, my dad went back to Rosewood to help my stepmom with their new couch being delivered. He won't be back until tomorrow night. Come inside, we'll talk there."

"No." Spencer shook her head. She needed to get the words out. "Toby, we can't…" She took a deep breath. "I can't see you anymore." The words burned like acid in her throat.

"What?" Toby's face changed into a mix of alarm and confusion. "Is it…is it your parents?"

"No." Spencer whispered, shaking her head.

"Then what is it?"

"Everything!" Spencer shouted. She couldn't stop the tears as they cascaded down her cheeks. "Don't you get it, Toby? This" she said, motioning the space between them, "can't happen in Rosewood. It doesn't matter how far away we are for how long, Rosewood will always be there. Right in our rearview mirrors." She took a breath to keep from choking on her sobs. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you think that this could happen. But it can't. It just can't. We go back in four days, Toby. Four more days. And then what? Did we expect to just…say goodbye and be okay with not being together anymore? Just cut the cord? No. We can't. And you know as well as I do that we both have pasts that keep us from being together."

"Who cares?" Toby interrupted finally. "Our past is our past. What about the future, Spencer? Did you ever think of that?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking _about_!" Spencer exclaimed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks and along her neck. "Do you want the truth? Well, here it is: there is no _way_ that this can go on in Rosewood. It just isn't an option."

"So let Rosewood be it's crazy self." Toby's voice dropped from angry to soft and careful. He stepped closer, raising a hand up to gently wipe the tears that stuck to her face. "It'll always be like that, Spencer. Always. Rosewood isn't going to change. But you can. Rosewood doesn't want anyone to be happy. But this isn't Rosewood." He shook his head. "I'm willing to fight for you. And even if it does end when we cross the line between Rosewood and the rest of the world, doesn't it matter at all that you're free, now?"

"But I'm not free." Spencer whispered.

Toby ignored her, continuing. "I told you that I loved you. And I know that you love me, too." The words were so true; it almost burned for Spencer to hear them. "And what is love if you can't fight for it?"

Spencer was speechless. Her lips parted and she almost forgot to breathe.

"It didn't matter to Romeo that he and Juliet were sworn not to be together. He knew that in the face of true love…you _can't_ just walk away. That kind of love lives forever."

"It's just a story." Spencer lied, hoping that it would help him see the truth. Her resistance was dwindling by the second.

Toby shook his head. "You know that's not true."

"I think the point of that story was that they _died_, Toby."

"No. The whole point as that they were _willing_ to die for their love." Toby said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "In life and death, they understood that true love conquers all."

"Does it really?" Spencer asked. This time, the sarcasm that she struggled to put into her words faltered, replaced with a true question.

"I think it does." Toby murmured. "Do you?"

Spencer's lips parted, but she stood frozen, unable to speak. They stayed like that for a few moments, in silence.

Toby's hand dropped from her face and he stepped back, nodding to himself and looking at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her. "Okay. I get it." He sighed. "Goodbye, Spencer."

He stepped around her and she could hear his footsteps crunch against the gravel as he moved toward the porch.

After that, it was like everything was in slow motion. She could see everything. Everything that she was giving up as each of his footsteps sounded against the gravel.

Her memories flashed in front of her, echoing through her mind.

_"I don't care what you can't tell me, I care about you! I love you…."_

He looked past the lies. He saw her for who she was. And that was all he needed.

_"The devil has a name, and it's Toby."_

Even after all the things she had said, all the hate she had felt for him…he was still able to forgive and trust her. Time and time again.

_"I told you the night they arrested you, I'm not walking away."_

And he meant it. Every word. He didn't walk away. He waited in the wings, until she could find the strength to pull him back into her arms.

Just then, _"And what is love if you can't fight for it?"_

He was right. The truth in his words rang out throughout her mind. A was going to take everything from her, whether she wanted them to or not. A would hurt everyone she cared about if they wanted to; it wouldn't matter if she gave them up.

And if that was the case, then she wasn't going down without a fight.

And she knew that she just _couldn't _let him walk away. Because if she did, she might never again have the chance for him truly see her as she was. In time, maybe even _he_ would get blinded by the web of lies and secrets and be unable to detect the _real_ Spencer, the one who was buried underneath all of A's sick games.

His footsteps crunching the dirt road brought her back to reality and she spun around, running headlong towards him.

"Toby." She whispered desperately, "Toby, wait." She threw herself into his arms, clutching at him and slamming her mouth against his. "Don't go. Please don't go." She murmured against his mouth as she grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt, frantic to get closer to him.

He stepped back to gain his footing, a little surprised at first. But within seconds, his strong arms enveloped her and his lips began to kiss her back. Her hands raked through his hair and she moaned as his tongue pushed past her teeth and into her mouth. The angst of possible separation dissolved between them as she wrapped her legs around his torso, and he backed up the stairs onto the patio carefully. Her head was filling with the sweetness of his breath as she pressed him backwards towards the door. They staggered into the foyer of the house and her legs tightened their grip around his waist as his mouth left hers and began to slide beneath the line of jaw, down to her throat. She slid her jacket off her body as his lips burrowed into the curve of her shoulder. He took a step towards the stairs, but she pulled on his shoulders towards the living room. She didn't think that they would make it all the way up the stairs without falling.

He stumbled into the dark living room, lit only by the pale glow of the fireplace. Spencer tugged him down until he fell on his knees on the rug between the couch and fire.

He carefully laid her against the rug and settled above her brushing the hair out of her face softly. She reached for him and sealed his mouth over hers once more.

Toby shed his zip-up hoodie and Spencer worked the buttons on his shirt open. When she finally finished the last one, her fingers ran up the hard planes of his stomach and chest. Her hands slipped around his back, feeling the soft skin, the solid muscle beneath. He shuddered and she pushed the shirt off his shoulders, bringing her hands to his hair again to kiss him deeper. She moaned as his hands slid beneath her shirt, Goosebumps rising on her skin.

"Toby…" She murmured, her fingertips finding his belt at the same time that he was inching up her shirt.

She raised her arms and let him pull her shirt over her head. When his fingertips slid over the clasp of her bra, he pulled back, holding himself up on his forearms. "Are you sure?" He asked softly, peering into her eyes.

Spencer nodded. "Yes." She whispered, sealing her answer with a kiss. She moaned softly as his tongue once again entered her mouth and he unclasped her bra.

His hot skin finally seared hers and this time they gasped in unison, both of them numb with their innocence.

Everything that she had said to him before, all those words of hate, all those lies…just disappeared between them as they shed the remainder of their clothing.

"Do you…?" Spencer whispered and Toby nodded, his mouth moving down her throat, pressing against where her pulse thudded beneath her collarbone. She wrapped her legs around him again, holding them closer together.

Spencer had thought about Toby every moment that they had been apart but…she never imagined that she could feel _this_ much love. For _anybody._

A year ago, she would have shuddered at the thought of merely _touching _Toby Cavanaugh. Let alone have his warm lips explore the length of her shoulder, tasting the pale of her skin. Little did she know how much things would change. Because right then, Spencer couldn't imagine anything better than being there with Toby's warmth encasing her body, his bare skin on hers.

Her head arched back when she finally felt him between her thighs, both of them panting and holding each other for dear life.

"Toby."

"Spencer." They whispered each other's names simultaneously.

She felt him slide carefully into her, cautious not to hurt her. She clenched her eyes shut with the sudden sharp pain she felt coursing through her body.

Toby drew back, wincing. "I'm sorry – "

"No." Spencer shook her head, her grip tightening. "I'm fine." She insisted.

Toby looked at her questionably, but nevertheless continued. When he moved inside her once more, she cried out with the wonderful burning it caused.

Once she relaxed, he began to move against her. He rocked into her again and she moaned softly. His lips caressed her throat and she arched her back against him, gasping as he pulled almost all the way out, only to push back in again.

He brought her hands above her head, intertwining their fingers and squeezing her palms with each thrust. She gasped and he pressed his lips to the hollow beneath her ear, whispering how good she felt to him and her eyelids fluttered shut when the way it felt became too much.

She cried out and dug her fingertips into his shoulder blades, "I love you so much, Toby." She whispered breathily. "Don't ever let me get away."

"I won't." He promised, and with one final movement, he collapsed against her.

He rolled onto his side beside her, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her over and over, murmuring how much he loved her.

"In answer to your question, yes." Spencer whispered after a few minutes of silence, running her fingertip along the smooth muscles of his arm.

"What?"

"If I believe that true love conquers all." She said. "I do."

Toby peered down at her and smiled, pulling her upward in his arms so that he could kiss her again. "I love you."

"I know. And I love you more than you'll ever know."

* * *

><p>Later that night, when she was sleeping, Toby softly ran his fingers up and down the contours of her back, feeling her soft skin. Her face was nestled in the curve of his shoulder and she was sleeping like a child, her breath making soft sounds as it rose and fell. He had retrieved the throw blanket from the sofa and swathed them in it. He caressed her skin to the patterns of her breathing.<p>

"I love you. I'm going to make you happy, Spencer, I swear it." He whispered. And even if she couldn't hear him, he knew that she knew.

He stared into the glow of the fire, as it softly cast their shadows along the rug.

But it wasn't the fire that kept him warm. Because only "she doth taught the torches to burn bright."

**Well, I warned you. But I don't think I got _too_ racy. Anywhoo, so I promised they would be happy. Only...three or four chapters left + the epilogue. Thanks so much for all the reviews and support! I couldn't have done it without you. And I would like to give a shout out to my Spobettes, who have been with me the whole journey.**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**

**((EDIT: And for those who asked, yes, they did use a condom. Remember: ""Do you…?" Spencer whispered and Toby nodded". Yep.))**


	19. Chapter 18: Day 10

18:

For the first time in a while, Spencer woke up to the sound of birds chirping. She groggily stirred blinking a few times as her eyes opened to the light that was streaming into the room.

Her arm flopped out from her side, trying to seek the form of Toby's body beside her as her eyes attempted to adjust to the light. Instead of her fingers encountering his soft skin and solid muscles, they found a folded piece of paper on the pillow beside her.

"Mmm…" She groaned softly as she captured the note between her fingers and sat up. She stretched her aching muscles; she was sore in places that she wasn't sure could even _get_ sore. The large white comforter puddled at her waist and she ran a free hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

Hazy memories of the previous night return to her in flashes of heated moments. She had awakened halfway through the night beside the warm glow of the fire, beneath the couch blanket, to find Toby awake as well, his soft blue eyes addressing hers tenderly.

They made love a second time, and afterward, as she lay against his chest, him stroking her hair as they regained their breath, he carefully wrapped her in the blanket and pulled her drowsy body into his arms.

She remembered seeing the glow of the moon glinting through the window through her faltering eyelids as he carried her up the stairs and into the extra bedroom – the first one down the hall.

This bedroom had a large, queen-sized bed against the far left wall, covered with an enormous white duvet that felt like a warm, soft cloud. There were two huge balcony doors that led out to a small veranda overlooking the ocean.

_Toby must have opened them this morning,_ Spencer thought.

Toby.

Spencer blushed and smiled, putting a hand on the side of her neck as she remembered Toby whispering sweet nothings in her ear – a gentle lullaby that lulled her to sleep.

Spencer sighed, peering around the room listlessly as if Toby might be hiding somewhere. Her eyes fell on the note that her fingers were wrapped around and began to unfold it. She scanned the words quickly and grinned.

_"One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne'er saw her match since first the world begun." Come find me, darling Juliet. Get in the truck and drive straight down the road along the beach for about three miles. I love you. – T_

Her eyes returned the pillow beside her and she giggled, seeing Toby's keys lying beside where the note had been. She reached out and grabbed them and then smiled, stretching a bit more and throwing the covers off her body, swinging her legs off the mattress and letting her feet rest on the wood flooring. She pulled herself into an upright position. Her eyes scanned the room and her gaze landed on something blue – Toby's t-shirt, lying across the top of the dresser on the other side of the room. It was the soft, faded baby blue t-shirt that he had worn on multiple occasions. She smiled to herself as she approached it, running her fingers along the worn fabric. Beside it, she saw that Toby had brought up her clothes from the night before. They were folded beside the t-shirt, and her smile widened. That was just so…wonderfully Toby.

She put her clothes back on, minus the black cardigan she had been wearing. Instead, she pulled Toby's blue t-shirt over her head, sighing as the soft material slipped over her skin.

Spencer slid the note and keys into her back pocket and grabbed her cardigan, carefully throwing back the covers and making the bed look like they had found it. Then, she headed down the spiral staircase and out the door, not bothering to lock it behind her. Myrtle beach just gave off that vibe of easiness; the things didn't have to be confined to stay safe.

The truck was in the driveway, just where they had left it and there was such an overwhelming sense of "home" as she got in the driver's seat, closing the door behind her. She stuck the keys in the ignition and turned, listening to the sound of the engine purr to life. There were so many memories in that truck.

And she prayed that there would be many to come.

* * *

><p>Spencer parked the truck where the grass began. Though there was so much of it, she didn't exactly know where it started and where it ended.<p>

Getting out of the truck, she surveyed the area. If she hadn't seen Toby's silhouette highlighted in the trees, she probably wouldn't have stopped there. It seemed so bizarre.

Just a huge span of grass and a few large oak trees, with a long string of houses down the dirt road on each side; somewhat of a forest atop a bouldery cliff overlooking the ocean. Not something that you'd think you'd find overlooking a beach in South Carolina.

But, thankfully, she _did_ see Toby amongst the cluster of trees – not quite a forest, she decided, but almost.

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" Spencer teased as she approached him. He stood a few feet from the edge of the cliff, huge boulders and rushing waves far below him.

Toby turned as she made her way through the maze of oak trees. "What _is_ this place?" She asked.

"Well, your fairy tale wouldn't be complete without a Narnia, would it?" Toby teased back.

Spencer laughed softly and smiled. Toby reached out and took the hem of her shirt between his fingers. "Ah. I see you've found my shirt."

"I couldn't help myself." She smiled and stepped closer so that she was beside him.

"Hey, I don't mind. They look so much better on you anyway." He flashed her his lazy, crooked smile and she sighed with contentment. His fingers found their way to hers. "Well, this was an empty lot for the longest time." He started, returning his gaze to the ocean. "The owner was some old widower – him and his wife bought it when they first got married, but they never built on it. After she died, he wanted even less to build on it – didn't want to think of her death more than he had too. He died about ten years ago, and he gave everything in his will to his daughter. My dad said that she was some nature freak. Loved trees and grass and everything. So, she used the lot to make a real forest for Myrtle Beach."

"Well, it's beautiful." Spencer nodded.

"Can I ask you something?" Toby asked.

"Anything."

"What made you change your mind?" His blue eyes turned to meet hers.

"You." Spencer answered simply. "You did. What you said…it was all true. Rosewood will always be Rosewood. But that doesn't mean that I have to fall under its spell. I know who I am. You know who you are. And as long as we know that we love each other…then Rosewood has no place in our hearts. Nothing can touch us as long as we know that."

Toby smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her softly.

Spencer threaded her hands into his hair, relishing the feel of his warm mouth on hers. She sighed, breathing him in and feeling his love radiate through her.

Toby Cavanaugh loved her.

And nothing else mattered.

When Toby finally broke away, he smiled, "Hungry?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am, actually." Spencer replied, realizing for the first time that she was.

Toby raised his eyebrows and nodded to something behind her, indicating for her to follow his line of sight.

She turned and saw what he was referring to: a large white blanket strewn across the grass with a picnic basket on top. Spencer could see various fruits and slices of bread within the baskets, along with a jug of orange juice.

"Oh!" She said. "How did I not see that…?" She murmured. She turned back to him. "There is absolutely no way I could ever top you in the romance department. You are _crazy_, Toby Cavanaugh."

"Crazy romantic."

"Stop making me jealous." Spencer teased as she took his hand once more and led him to the blanket, where she sank to her knees and pulled him down beside her. "But really. This is perfect. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than here."

Toby smiled and kissed her forehead. "Good. Because I'm not letting you get away this time."

**Happy birthday, my darling Jenn! HEARRTT!**

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ**


	20. Chapter 19: Day 10

19:

"Okay, how about this one. I love you more than…a fat kid loves cake."

Toby chuckled, "Hmm-mm." He shook his head. "Still got you beat."

"Really?" Spencer smiled. She peered up at him. "Prove it."

"Alright. I love you more than Ke$ha loves beards."

Spencer cracked up. "Alright, that was a good one. But I will beat you."

"In your dreams." Toby poked her playfully in the ribs.

"Ooh, I'm counting on that Mr. Cavanaugh." Spencer giggled.

Toby laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around her. It was nightfall, and they had both secured their alibis for the night. Melissa was pretending that she and Spencer were going out for the all-night Lord of the Rings moviefest at the theater – 9:30 pm to 3:00 am – and Toby's dad was staying an extra night in Rosewood because the bridge was closed. So the two were lounging back in front of the fire in Toby's house, her between his legs on her side, head resting on his chest as his fingers softly caressed her hair.

The TV was off and the fire was crackling softly. Everything was perfect. "Recite some Shakespeare for me." Toby requested as his warm, calloused fingers stroked gently down her back.

"Why?" Spencer asked.

"Because I'm sure that Shakespearean iambic tetrameter will sound perfect coming out of those beautiful lips of yours." Toby murmured softly. Spencer shivered at his words.

"Alright." Spencer whispered. She cleared her throat, "'Come night, come loving, black browed night, give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of Heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night. And pay no worship to the garish sun."

She peered up at Toby, who pulled her up higher in his arms to kiss the top of her head.

"I was right." Toby murmured, threading his fingers through hers. "Perfect."

Spencer opened her mouth to reply, but a loud pop from outside stopped her in her tracks. She jumped against Toby's chest, and his arms tightened around her. "Hey, hey, cool it down, sardine." He teased, squeezing her hip softly.

"What was that sound?" Spencer asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She propped herself up on elbows on Toby's abdomen.

"I don't know." Toby shrugged. "Wanna go check it out?"

Spencer nodded, sliding off Toby's chest and planting her bare feet on the cold hardwood floor between the couch and the rug. "Ugh! My feet are freezing!"

"Well, remind me to warm them up later, Princess Spencerella." Toby said, getting to his feet and grabbing her hand. "Let's go investigate, you detective, you." He flashed her a smile before leading her through the kitchen and to the back door. Unlocking it, he opened the door and stepped aside for her to go out first.

Spencer stepped out onto the warm sand, feeling it seep between her toes. "Mmm…" She closed her eyes. That feeling got her every time.

Toby stepped outside behind her, "Where do you think that came from?"

"I don't know." Spencer said. Suddenly, the sound cracked across the sky. Spencer's eyes snapped up to the dark atmosphere. A smile spread across her face. "Look at that!" She grinned and raced towards the shore. She heard the sound of Toby following close behind. Another burst of color rocketed along the skyline. "Fireworks!"

"Look at that…" Toby marveled. "Fireworks in February. Huh. Look at that." A flash of bright red exploded above them and Spencer smiled even brighter.

The water tickled at her toes as more vibrant colors filled the sky. "It's beautiful." Spencer breathed.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled. He was so warm and solid behind her, and it gave her such a comforting thought to know that they had shared everything with each other. Purely everything. Everything on their minds, in their hearts. Everything from their physical bodies to their inner souls; they were one. They were one string. If you cut one, you cut them both.

"Mmm…" Spencer closed her eyes and sighed, leaning back against him.

"Our first Fourth of July…" Toby whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. "In February."

"And it couldn't be more perfect."

"I guess that this is what 'makes the face of Heaven so bright that all the world will be in love with night'." Toby quoted in her ear and she giggled.

In love indeed.

**Alright darlings! :) Side note - those of you who have questions on the rationality of the chapter two before, just look closer in the reading. Don't worry - I made sure that the scenario made complete sense. Thanks :) **

**Live. Love. Spoby.**

**AJ ;)**


	21. Chapter 20: Day 11

20:

"Damn, Spence, you'd think you were in like freaking Antarctica researching penguins with the amount of difficulty it takes to contact you."

Three pairs of eyes centered in on Hanna, who sat propped up against her pillows, slurping an A&W root beer float. The girls had just Skyped Spencer, after she had gotten her breakfast that morning.

"What?" Hanna asked, annoyed. "I'm just saying. We haven't talked to her in, like, forever."

"It's been two days, Han." Emily, who was on her stomach beside her, said. She ran a free hand through her sweat-dabbled black hair, fresh from a run. Her Nikes were kicked up behind her, crossed at the ankles.

"Whatever. Can we please just focus on Spencer now?" Hanna asked. She swung her wrist so fast that a chuck of root-beer-coated ice flung out of her cup, disappearing somewhere out of the camera's view.

"Yeah, what were you going to tell us, Spence?" Aria asked, toying with a loose curl. "Hanna…told us that you were going to end things with Toby. I guess it was for the best. You're being a champ, though, really." She smiled empathetically at Spencer, nodding as if there was some way she could understand what was really going on.

"Well, I…" Spencer opened her mouth to attempt to explain the last 48 hours, but no words came. She bit her lip, her eyes nervously rolling up to the ceiling.

"You couldn't do it, could you?" Hanna asked monotonely. She set her root beer float down on the side table with an audible _thunk_ and held up her hands like a victor might after winning some kind of championship. "Alright, you two, pay up." She said, gesturing with her hand to indicate exactly what she meant.

"You guys!" Spencer groaned as Aria and Emily turned a deep shade of red. "You actually _bet_ on whether or not I would be able to break things off with Toby?"

"Well, in my defense, I thought that you would be strong enough!" Aria held up her hands in surrender. "You have always been in the past. And I mean really, the lengths you go at to protect people are truly something. Like, Romeo and Juliet who? I'd say Spoby wins for the most masochism."

"But _I _told them both 'No way, Jose, Spencer Hastings may be the most bad-ass chick around, but she's a puddle in that boy's hands." Hanna cut in and proudly put her hands on her hips. "One look into those eyes and she'll be melting like Wal-Mark sunglasses in July."

Spencer snorted and rolled her eyes, smiling lightly. "You guys never ever cease to amaze me." She shook her head. "Oh wait, Hanna, what happened with Caleb?" She asked, partly because she was curious, but mostly because she wanted to delay the confrontation as long as possible. Hanna would have called it 'stalling'. Spencer preferred 'buying time'.

"Ah, well, that is a whole different story." Hanna waved her hand, but continued on. "Well, you see," she said, her face a mask of pride and self-gratitude. "Thank GOD he had me, his amazing sidekick. Long story short, the cops took in his laptop and had him unlock it to see what files were in there. Luckily, I was able to delete all of his files by accessing them through my laptop. See, I guess I'm not _just_ the fashion queen and camping champ. I'm a top-notch computer nerd, too. Ha! You should have _seen_ the looks on Wilden and Garrett's faces!" She burst out laughing and smiled, slapping her thigh. "Yeah, that's how it's done, bitches." She snapped in front of her back and forth three times.

Spencer laughed and smiled. "Well, I'm glad to hear it."

"Spence, you still haven't told us what happened with Toby." Emily said. A worry line crossed what seemed to be the only sane friend Spencer had left's forehead.

"Yeah." Aria nodded. "What happened?"

"Well, I…" Spencer sighed, searching for the right words. Suddenly, something out of the ordinary caught her eye. "Wait a minute, I've been to your house a million times – that is _not_ your couch!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at the screen, and Aria's eyes went wide. _Spencer Hastings, you are a pro staller. _She congratulated herself. "Aria! You are _not_in Fitz's apartment!" She groaned.

"I'm sorry! I just…" Aria seemed lost for words as well.

"Ew, she is!" Hanna burst out without a second thought. "Is he even _there_?" Her tiny nose crinkled and her eyes narrowed.

"No, well, he's getting us some takeout." Aria responded. "Just like old times." A wistful smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, except this is as far from 'old times' as you can get." Spencer's eyebrows crinkled. "I mean, back in the 'old times', Emily was dating Ben, Hanna had eyes for only Sean, you and Fitz could curl up with your little secret Jane Austen romance, and the thought of loving Toby Cavanaugh was revolting to me. You might see how much times have changed, Aria."

"And you aren't the slightest bit worried that the leader of the Mr. Fitz Haters club will see him?" Hanna asked.

"No need for me to be worried – my dad is at a conference in Jersey for the next two days. And maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll get a whiff of the Jersey lifestyle, and come to realize that my relationship isn't as bizarre as he makes it out to be."

"Sorry, Aria, but you're no Snooki. I think that even J. Wow and Pauly D. don't stand a chance at changing his mind." Hanna said truthfully.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Mom is warming up to the idea and dad doesn't know a thing. Problem solved."

"I find it a little hard to believe that your mom was just okay with you strutting on over to Fitz's apartment for takeout and playing hermit for the night." Spencer replied skeptically.

"Well, she kind of thinks I'm with Holden." Aria said, her eyes on the ceiling.

"And she still hasn't smelt the rotten fish right under her nose?" Emily asked. "I'm sure she's thinking something's fishy."

"Whatever." Aria shook her head. "Can we _please_ just let Spencer get on with what she was saying?"

"Fine. Spence, out with it." Hanna said, her eyes centering through the camera at a still lost-for-words Spencer.

"I…you see, I went there and…" Spencer ran a hand through her hair nervously. She wondered where to begin.

She could hardly imagine how she would tell the story accurately without sounding like a complete bipolar whore with no sense of reason.

_Well, you see, girls it's really quite simple. I walked on over to Toby's beach house, told him that I couldn't see him, we yelled at each other for a bit, we both tried to prove our case, and then he ended up walking away. But then I saw my life pretty much flash before my eyes and I had one of those storybook epiphanies that I thought only existed within the realms of Titanic and Twilight, and then I ran to him before he could go, kissed him, and let him carry my into the house where we proceeded to create the most beautiful memory of my life on the rug in front of his fireplace. _She thought. Wow. Even her _inner thoughts_ dripped with sarcasm…

_ Might as well start somewhere. _Spencer took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, but her words were drowned out by the sound of Hanna's gasp.

"Oh my _God!"_ Hanna burst out, horrified. She leaned so quickly and forcefully into the camera that she pushed Emily off the bed beside her.

"Ouch, Hanna!" Emily's muffled voice cried off screen.

"What?" Spencer asked, taken aback.

"Is that what I think it is, Spencer Hastings?" Hanna asked, aghast. Her eyes narrowed as she pointing to something on Spencer's side of the chat.

"What?" Spencer asked again.

"Oh my God. I see it too." Aria's eyes went wide. "Spencer, is that a _hickey?_" She asked.

Spencer's eyes widened. Her hand flew to the side of her neck. She silently cursed Toby for leaving it there. Damn it. "Uhm…no?" She tried.

"Spencer Hastings has a _hickey_? I never thought I'd see the day!" Hanna exclaimed. Beside her, Emily pulled herself up onto the bed. Her eyes, too, became huge as her gaze centered in on what the other two girls were gawking at.

"Spencer, you didn't." Emily said, flabbergasted.

"She _did_." Aria and Hanna chorused at the same time.

"I…._might have_…." Spencer tried, but Hanna was far from finished.

"Spencer Hastings, you tell us what happened right this very second. The whole truth. Everything in accurate detail." She said. Suddenly, a dreaming look was cast across her face. "Oh my God, Spencer Hastings has lost her V card. About freaking time."

"Hey, you don't _know_ that for sure!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Well?" Hanna prompted. All three girls on the screen focused their gaze on her.

Spencer toyed busily with her hair, not replying.

"Ah! She _did!"_ They all exclaimed at the same time, giggling with glee like little schoolgirls and clapping their hands hysterically.

"About time!" Hanna repeated.

"Well, I kind of spent that last month trying to obey A and stay away from Toby, thank you very much." Spencer retorted. "So it's not like I could have gotten a whole bunch of action."

Aria clapped hysterically some more. "I'm, like, fangirling now. I'm having Dawson's Creek flashbacks." She fanned herself. "Oh my God, I am actually hot over this. Spencer!" She cleared her throat and poised her voice like some movie announcer. "Coming this fall to ABC, Spoby: The Story of True Love and Peril." She said, waving her hands in front of hair as if to paint an invisible marquee. She clapped her hands again. "I love it!"

"Wait a minute!" Emily, the voice of reason, spoke amid the chaos. "Spencer still hasn't told us what happened. I mean, really, aren't you the least bit curious of how she went from being steadfast on breaking things off with him to getting tangled up in his sheets?"

"Oooh, I like the way you put that, Em. Pretty hot. I bet they were silk sheets. Toby seems like the type to treat his lady right…"

"Tre…treat his lady right? Sheets? Like, what?" Spencer asked, her face scrunched in confusion. "Hanna, you had your first time in a _tent._ Pretty sure that the type of sheets weren't a huge issue…"

"And I definitely recall a pretty amazing six pack from Ian's videos." Aria noted, ignoring Spencer's comment all together.

"Guys!" Spencer covered her face with her hands, masking her inflamed cheeks. "We shouldn't even be having this conversation!"

"Uh ya, like hell we shouldn't be." Hanna said. "Come on, out with it! Was he just so heartbroken that you couldn't leave without giving him something to remember you by?" Hanna wiggled her eyebrows, "Or was it one of those _Notebook_ moments where you both just came to each other in the heat of all the screaming, unable to deny the passion any longer?" Hanna asked wistfully.

"Uh, pretty sure this is real life, Han, not a movie." Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever, tell us!" Aria demanded.

Emily, who was the calmest of the three, looked at Hanna. "Then you both just shut up and let her finish." She said.

"Thank you, Em." Spencer rubbed her temple. "God, you guys give me a headache. I think I need to take some Aspirin _just_ from talking to you guys…" She peered up at her friends, who were sitting quietly, like good little girls again, waiting anxiously for her to weave the tale of that night.

Spencer sighed. "Alright, you wanna know?"

Aria, Hanna, and Emily nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright." Spencer smiled. "Here it goes."

And Spencer finally found the words to describe what had happened, not in the extreme vivid detail that Hanna had wished for, but in a way that put all of her emotions into words in the best way possible. When she finished, all the girls' faces were like melted ice cream, soft and nearly high off of her story.

"And then…when I woke up, he left me a note to go find him, and – "

"What did the note say?" Hanna asked, her eyes bright.

"'_One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.' Come find me, darling Juliet. Get in the truck and drive straight down the road along the beach for about three miles. I love you. – T_." Spencer recited with complete accuracy. Even with her superlative memory, Spencer had felt the need to keep the note and tucked within the pages of the leather-bound journal. She had lost count on the amount of times she'd read it since she had received it.

"Awww!" Hanna, Aria, and Emily chorused at the same time.

"Okay, quoting Shakespeare? My God, Spencer Hastings, you have that boy wrapped around your pretty little finger." Aria smiled.

"Oh, that was Shakespeare?" Hanna asked, her nose scrunched. "Huh. I could've sworn it was from a Jennifer Aniston movie…"

"Shh." Emily shushed her.

Spencer sighed wistfully. "And then, I did what he asked and got in the truck and the directions led me to a lot overlooking the ocean. It was like…Narnia almost." She snorted. "It was on this cliff and the owner had passed away and given it to his daughter, who had decided to plant some trees in it. Give Myrtle Beach a taste of…Rosewood, almost." She grinned. "And, to my surprise, he had a breakfast picnic planned for us. Which was amazing. And…afterwards, I snuck back home. Guess I wasn't really thinking straight, because my parents' location didn't even cross my mind the whole time. Thank _God_ Melissa was able to cover for me. She said that 'I wasn't feeling well and was sleeping in.'" Spencer quoted. "And by the time I got back home, they were out looking for condos again."

"Okay, can I just say how weird it is that you and Melissa are all friendly now?" Hanna said.

"I know." Spencer agreed. "But, I think it was time, you know. Stitch up the battle wounds and band together to create a brighter tomorrow."

"Guess Toby isn't the only poet in Rosewood…" Emily noted with a grin.

Spencer rolled her eyes with a grin and continued on. "And then, Melissa and I said that we were going to the all-night _Lord of the Rings_ marathon at the theater. And Toby's dad stayed back in Rosewood for an extra night. So…we got to watch fireworks on the beach."

"Awww!" The three squealed again.

"Alright, one day, there is going to be a novel about this. Mark my words!" Hanna proclaimed and the rest of the girls laughed.

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Yes, we will." Hanna replied. "Spencer Hastings, I never deemed you as a romantic. I guess it just took the right guy to make you become one."

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_ It feels a bit foolish to keep writing this, when I am at the point where I can say anything to you again. But, I continue because I hope, one day, even if we get lost again with the secrets that plague Rosewood, that I can remember just how much you meant to me. _

_ Psh. Like I could forget. _

_ But it means something to me that I can write them down, and keep my feelings within the realms of this notebook, tucked against the pages, along with your sweet note._

_ I want to remember us like this forever._

_ So I guess that's why I keep writing._

_ To keep the memory as alive as it is now._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

**Wow. eek! Has it really been this long since I last uploaded? Im so sorry. I've just been busy with classes and trying to survive my TobyDehydration and WrencerPhobia ;) I promise the next ch will come sooner!**

**True Love Conquers All,**

**AJ**_  
><em>


	22. Chapter 21: Day 12

21:

"Explain to me again why we are here?" Spencer asked, blowing a layer of dust off of a particularly dilapidated book and coughing.

Toby peeked around the corner of the bookshelf. "Shh…you'll see." He smiled mischievously before snapping back to the other side of the shelf.

"Ugh!" Spencer groaned and yanked out another novel from the shelf, revealing Toby's blue eyes on the other side. "Will you at least tell me what I'm looking for?"

"Just the hardcover Dover Thrift edition of our favorite Shakespeare." His gaze flickered to hers before he stooped down, vanishing from her view.

Spencer set her book back on she shelf and stepped around the tall shelf onto his side, leaning against it. Toby was crouched down, running his fingers along the dusty spines of elderly Shakespeare plays.

"So you're telling me that was are in the very back of one of the only libraries in this part of Myrtle Beach, looking for some old copy of _Romeo & Juliet_? How do you know that it isn't check out?" Spencer asked.

Toby snorted and peered up at her. "Yeah, right. If that book is in the shape I last saw it in, then trust me, it's not check out."

Spencer shook her head. "You're crazy."

"I know." Toby grinned and went back to searching.

A beat of silence.

Spencer blew a lock of hair out of her eyes, crossing her arms and leaning her back against the shelf. "So…"

"I'm not telling you, Spencer." Toby said.

"Oh, come on!" Spencer groaned. "What's the big deal?"

"Shhh…" Toby smiled and got to his feet, roping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. He put a finger to her lips. "Library, remember?" He grinned.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. Get back to searching so I can quit guessing."

Toby nodded and went back to the shelf. "Ah." He said after a few seconds. "There it is. Just like I left it." He slid an old, auburn colored, hardcover book from the bottom shelf. He blew off a layer of dust and opened it. "Hey, look. First act is still covered with White-Out, too."

"Uhm…what?" Spencer asked. She stepped closer.

Toby held the open book forward for her to view. "I Whited-Out the first act of the play to keep someone from checking it out." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Uhm…why?" Spencer asked, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.

"Because." Toby smiled. He leaned his back against the shelf, standing beside her. "I didn't want _this_," He flipped through the pages, "to fall into the wrong hands."

"What is it?" She asked, peering over his arm to see. There, taped against the aging pages of Shakespeare's most popular play, was a silver Tiffany necklace sparkling beside a few of Romeo's lines.

Spencer gasped softly. She leaned closer, "Wha – ?"

Toby reached forward and softly tugged the necklace out from beneath the tape. Spencer got a clearer look. It was shimmering silver with a Robedo lock hanging from the end. The little Tiffany logo was carved into the front of the lock. It was beautiful, and, despite the tape, looked like new.

"I…" Spencer shook her head and peered up at Toby for him to explain.

"This," he started, "was my mom's. After she died, ages ago…my dad let me have this. He didn't want it. Not after he met Jenna's mom. But, anyway, my mom had always liked this copy…she used to reserve it weeks before we came here for the summer so she could read it. I don't exactly know _why_ this copy held so much interest to her, but…it did." He shrugged. "And…after she died, we came back here to clean up the last of our things. I thought…that we'd be selling it, but…my dad couldn't. He couldn't let the memories go." Spencer peered up at him. His eyes got a far-away look and he cleared his throat. "Uhm, I…I came down here on the last day we were here and got this book. It reminded me so much of my mom. I didn't like the thought of anyone else having it. So, I made sure that no one would want it."

Spencer snorted and laughed softly. "And how did the librarian not fry your pretty little ass that you were defacing library property?"

"Probably because I sat over there," He pointed the far corner of the library, between to kitty-cornered shelves. "And was able to White-Out the first act, without being seen."

"Wow." Spencer smiled. "Congrats."

"And then…I taped this necklace right _here_." He pointed to the page where the necklace had laid, "And promised myself that I would come back here, one day, and give it to the first girl I ever loved." He smiled. "So, now." He turned to her. "I finally got my wish."

Spencer's lips parted and she looked at him, aghast. "I…I…" she couldn't even make words. Toby was for sure a romantic but…this would put _Titanic_ to shame.

Toby smiled and unhooked the necklace, moving to clasp it around her neck. He pulled her curls through the chain, letting them fall on her shoulders. "Spence, say something." He said softly.

"This is…the single most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me." She whispered. She shook her head in awe. "I didn't expect…when I came here, I thought it would be just some family wedding. I never expected any of this." She sighed and leaned in. "I love you, Toby. So much, it actually hurts." She clenched her eyes shut and he rested his forehead on hers.

A gentle smile spread across Toby's face and he leaned in, cupping her face and kissing her gently, pulling her into his arms. "One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun. Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun." He whispered softly in her ear.

Spencer shivered, pulling back enough to look at him. "One day, I promise that I will do something this romantic for you. It might take me a while…you might have to bear with me, but…I will."

Toby smiled. "Alright, I'm holding you to that." He chuckled. "And I can wait. I can wait as long as you need."

"Good." Spencer smiled and leaned in to seal her words with a kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa! sorry, it's been so long. only a few chs and the epilogue left! i'll prob be done a day or two after the finale. it's been such a great journey, and i want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my work, comment, and give me such positive reinforcement. i love you all to no end. and i want to thank my spobettes for always being with me, no matter what.<strong>

**one more week until 'true love conquers all', my darlings! 3**

**live. love. spoby.**

**-AJ**


	23. Chapter 22: Day 13

22:

"Then leaf subsides to leaf, so Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." Spencer whispered softly, the words rolling off her tongue absentmindedly.

"Hmm?" Toby asked hazily, his hand pausing on its course down a lock of her hair.

Spencer shook her head. She continued lazily tracing the shape of the fingers of Toby's free hand. "It's Robert Frost. 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'" She murmured.

Toby sat up a smidge, jostling her. They were intertwined in the bed of Toby's truck, peering up at the stars, the inky black sky. The sun was long down and Toby had gone through the nightly routine of helping her out her window.

"What made you think of it?" Toby asked.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Uh-huh. 'You don't know' my ass. I know you, Spencer. Out with it." He sat up even further and shifted them so that he could face her.

Spencer shrugged again, "I don't know…I guess…it kind of relates to how I feel right now."

"Spence…don't go there…"

"But Toby, I…we leave tomorrow morning." She whispered. "And then…and then what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well what's going to happen once Rosewood closes its arms around us again? What if…what if something happens to us? What if I can't see clearly anymore? Like I used to? What if I finally become sane enough to make sure you stay away from me for your own good?"

"That's an awful lot of 'what-ifs', Ms. Hastings."

"Yes, and all of them fairly relevant and balanced."

"Spencer." Toby said seriously. He put both hands on either side of her face, looking into her eyes intently. "We'll get through this. I know it. If I have to fight…tooth and nail, I will. But that's not what I'm worried about tonight. We'll figure it out tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and however many days it takes until we can say without fear that you're mine and I'm yours." He said. "So don't worry about it now. Worrying won't make tomorrow better; it'll only ruin today."

Spencer smiled lazily and sighed. "Alright, Ghandi, you got me there." She settled back into him, tucking her head against his neck. "Just hold me and make me believe that what you just said will be true." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

Toby wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back. They lied there for long minutes, saying nothing, yet everything at the same time.

"Toby?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you forgive me?"

"Come again?"

"Why did you forgive me? You know, all these times. Not just after I told you to get lost, but the first time that I walked up on your porch to tutor you. Why? You could have been like any other regular guy and slammed the door and my face and told my bitchy little ass to get lost."

Toby chuckled. "Well, I think that it's safe to say that I can't really be classified as 'regular guy.'"

"I know. That's obvious, but you're avoiding the question. And rather poorly, I might add."

"Fine. Why? Because I learned a long time ago that forgiveness is the key to a happy life. It seems hard but…once you try it, you realize just how important it is. Forgiveness frees the soul; it casts bad feelings away. I just choose to live the happier life. Forgiveness is part of it." Toby shrugged.

Spencer sighed. "Teach me to be like you. All kind and empathetic. Not judgmental."

"What are you talking about? You're the lightest thing that ever came into my life." Toby said, his fingers still toying with her hair.

She knew that disagreeing with him would only result in a failure on her part, so she sighed and smiled softly.

"Toby?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that we'll be okay someday. That we'll have a beautiful life together, without complications." She said.

She could feel the smile in his voice as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "I promise."

"Paint the picture for me." She said, her eyelids faltering shut.

"Alright." Toby cleared his throat. "One day, when all of this is behind us, we'll have a beautiful life together. I'll have some carpentry job somewhere nice and sunny, and you'll be some top lawyer, or have some other very hoity-toity occupation." He teased. "And…we'll live in one of those Victorian houses that you've always dreamed of, and we'll have kids – probably two. A boy and a girl, if we're lucky. Our daughter – "

"Audrey Jane." Spencer murmured softly, her eyelids still closed.

"Hm?"

"Audrey Jane. That's what our daughter's name will be. We'll call her 'AJ' for short." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Okay." Toby laughed. "Alright, our daughter, little Audrey Jane, will look just like you."

"But have your eyes."

"But of course she'll be top of her class, like you."

"And be selfless, like you."

"And have a knack for sarcasm, like you."

"And smile all the time, like you."

"And overanalyze things, like you."

"And be forgiving, like you." Spencer whispered wistfully.

"And just perfect, like you."

Spencer smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like a pretty beautiful life."

"Agreed." He said, tightening his arms around her. "I can't wait to live in it someday."

* * *

><p>"'Parting is such sweet sorrow.'" Spencer quoted, half-teasing, but yet with a desperate edge to her tone.<p>

"Don't worry. This will not, in any way, be the last time we get to be like this. I promise." Toby smiled.

"I know, I just…" Spencer shook her head. "Never mind, it's just mindless worrying. I need to be brave." She sighed. "Starting with you."

They were still sitting in Toby's truck, this time in the front seat. They were parked in front of Spencer's beach house, the beginning of dawn heavily upon them. The pale yellow light was piercing the edge of the horizon, but Spencer made no move to get out of the car.

She turned to him and smiled sadly, putting a hand on the side of his face. He closed the space between them and kissed her softly. "We'll be okay. I promise. Now go, go and get some sleep before morning. Dream of…Audrey Jane, and our Victorian house and it will keep you from being worried. I promise."

Spencer smiled and kissed him again. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She held onto his hand as long as she could as she opened the door and started towards the house. She could probably sneak in without too much commotion, and catch a few hours' worth of sleep on the couch.

* * *

><p>That night – or that morning, whichever – Spencer wrote one final entry in the journal.<p>

And, like always, she began with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_ Can light ever truly illuminate the darkness?_

_ Can happiness ever really destroy sorrow?_

_ Can true love really conquer all?_

_ I think so, don't you?_

_ I guess it wasn't until I met you – or maybe even until I came here, that I fully believed these things. _

_ You're dangerous, you know._

_ You make me want to forget everything and just believe in the impossible. You make me hope and dream for a future with you worth having. Of course, the vision itself is hazy – we could live anywhere between London and the North Pole for all I know; but as long as I can be with you, it doesn't matter._

_ When I'm with you, I don't even think about the plans my parents have so intricately laid out for me; I just think about how much I want to be with you, forever and then some. You make me want to be brave. And hopeful. And forgiving._

_ And, honestly…_

_ I don't think I could ever ask for anything more than that._

_ If I have you, that's all I need._

_ So that's why I'm willing to fight. Fight for you, for me, for us. I don't have any idea what the events of tomorrow will bring, or those of the day after, or the day after, but, somehow…that doesn't matter anymore. I guess when you're in love…time holds no candle to the importance of it. You are no longer a slave to its pull. You live by your own clock. _

_ So basically, tomorrow shouldn't frighten me. But it does. I'm not scared of Rosewood, really, I've been in it long enough to know the ups and downs of it._

_ I'm just afraid of not being with you._

_ But I have to be brave, for you. For us. For now, for yesterday, and for our future._

_ One day, I know that this love will be enough to conquer everything._

_ But for now, I'll just settle on today, right now, and take life as it comes at me. Because even if all this love can do for me right now is making me feel brave, then that's more than enough._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

* * *

><p><em><em>**special thanks and credit rights to Bree (Breedom2Be) for the name of the SpobyBaby (Audrey Jane) in her story. Look her up. she's amaaazzzzinnn' ;). and credit to tawgs salter, for their lovely song 'brave' which posed as a divine inspiration.**

**im so happy for monday...i dont know what to do with myself... ;)**

**live. love. spoby,**

**AJ**


	24. Chapter 23: Day 14

23:

"Spencer? Are you packed yet?" Veronica called down the hall. Shortly after, she appeared in Spencer's doorway.

Spencer softly set her white cardigan inside her suitcase and sighed. She braced her hands against the side of the bed. "Yeah." She said softly.

"Something wrong?" Veronica asked. Spencer could hear the soft patter of her footsteps behind her, approaching her.

Spencer closed her eyes tight before opening them. She turned to her mother. "No. I'm fine."

Veronica crossed her arms and knit her eyebrows. "Come on, Spencer. What's going on? You've been nothing but happy these past few days."

"Yeah, I know." Spencer sighed and her gaze fell on the toes of her silver ballet flats. "I just…I'm not ready to go back to reality yet, you know?"

Veronica pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I understand." She put a hand on he side of Spencer's head and leaned in to kiss her daughter's forehead. "You know, seeing my baby sister get married…it really made me think that…in a few years, that will be you."

"Mom..." Spencer said. "You don't –"

"No, no, I know." Veronica said. "But I'm just saying. In a couple more years…I mean, well, you know. You'll probably have some beautiful, perfect wedding somewhere gorgeous but totally professional, just like you. And you'll most likely marry some doctor right after you graduate law school…." Spencer tried not to cringe and looked at her shoes again, "And I – wait, you won't go off and elope like your sister without inviting me, right?"

Spencer laughed and shook her head. "No. Of course not, Mom."

"Oh, that's my girl." Veronica smiled and pulled her into a hug.

When they drew back, Veronica sighed, "Alright, Spence. Keep packing, sweetie. We're thinking of getting on in a few hours to avoid traffic."

Spencer nodded. "Okay."

Her mother smiled one last time before turning and leaving the room, patting down the hall to Melissa's room, "Melissa, are you packed?"

Spencer let out a breath and turned back to her suitcase. Biting her lip, she weighed her options. She ran her free hand through her auburn curls and sighed.

Pushing away the stacks of shorts and cardigans, Spencer found her way to the bottom of her suitcase. She slid her hand beneath the sweatshirt at the end of the pile and felt around until her fingers encountered leather. Carefully, she tugged out the diary and turned it over in her hands for a few minutes. She absentmindedly pawed through the pages. It was pretty filled, and she had written a few more entries in the last few days of their vacation.

Spencer closed her eyes tight and held the journal to her chest for a moment, holding her breath before letting it out and shutting her suitcase, zipping it shut. She pulled her Tiffany necklace out from under the neck of her t-shirt and grabbed her shoulder bag, sliding the journal into the front pocket and heading for the door.

This time, she wasn't going make some excuse and compress her feelings. No, this was a whole new Spencer, she thought, one that knows what she needs to say and laughs in the face of fear.

Juliet would be proud.

* * *

><p>The sound of Spencer's footsteps echoed off of the dirt driveway as she made her way to the front porch of the Cavanaugh's beach house.<p>

Birds cooing, the waves in the distance, and her footsteps. The rest was quiet.

She finally ambled up the steps to the porch, recalling in vivid detail the memory of her and Toby staggering up them in the heat of blind passion, reaching for the door and sprawling out in front of the fireplace. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, closing her eyes as her cheeks flashed hot and putting a hand on her neck. She shuddered lightly before opening her eyes once more and knocking on the door. To her surprise, it squeaked open. Cautiously, she peered in. "Toby…?" Pushing the door open further, she called his name again. When no one answered, she walked further into the foyer. She scanned the premises. Toby's windbreaker was missing from the coat rack, meaning that he most likely was out. Her eye caught on the side table below the coat rack, where a wisp of paper sat. She peered over it.

_Toby. _

_ Out for coffee._

_ -Dad_

So Toby's dad was out.

And it looked like Toby was, too.

She set down the note.

Smiling, she stepped back out onto the porch and shut the door behind her. She had a pretty good idea of where he was.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Romeo, did anyone ever tell you that you have a gift for disappearing?" Spencer could make out the shape of Toby's body against the contrast of the trees. She walked around the tan truck parked along the curb of the lot.<p>

He turned and his crooked smile graced his face. "Yes, actually. Did anyone tell you that Romeo should be the one to find Juliet? Not vice versa?"

"Well, I'm a new kind of Juliet." Spencer smiled.

She sauntered up slowly to the cluster of trees where Toby stood. The lot was just as she remembered it – just as fairytale-like, just as real. She noticed that Toby was working away at a particularly thick tree, and she knit her eyebrows to get a closer look.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

He turned to her and smiled, closing his pocketknife with a click. "Making our mark. I want them to know that we were here."

"Them?"

"This tree. Myrtle Beach. The world." He replied. His hands reached out and took each of hers.

Spencer snorted and laughed. "You're crazy."

"I know."

She sighed, a half-smile gracing her face. "And I love you."

"Yeah, I know that, too." He smiled back. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"What? No heart around it?" She teased.

"Nope." Toby grinned, cocking his head to the side. When he moved, she got a clearer view of the carving: _Toby + Spencer._ "Just Toby and Spencer. No pretenses, no past." He reached for her hand. "That's just what you wanted, right?"

Spencer grinned and then sighed, her gaze falling to her feet.

"But, if there's something that I want to preserve, it's the memory of here. Of us being here. I feel like…well, it's too important to let it fade. Something has to be solid. To know that it wasn't just some dream." He said.

She shook her head. "It's too real. Dreams aren't this emotionally powerful."

"That's true." Toby nodded. "But I still want something to mark that we were here. It's like that movie," he said. "_Henry Poole Is Here._ The protagonist is told that he has a terminal illness and doesn't know what day will be his last. So, he buys the house that he lived in as a child. And he writes in Sharpie on the wall: "Henry Poole was here" to make sure that someone knew that he existed, once."

"Well, let's hope that we don't go _too_ Romeo and Juliet and end up the same way." Spencer teased. Her tone was light, but the seriousness of her mind frame kept it slightly tense.

"Ah, ah, you didn't let me finish. At the end…he's told that he's going to live after all. So, instead, he crossed out _was _and wrote _is_. That's what this is." Toby turned back to the tree, resting his hand over the carving. "It says that…we're here now. And that's what matters."

Spencer smiled – it was a bittersweet smile, one that portrayed happiness as well as sorrow. "Toby," she started, sighing. "Remember when I told you that one day, I'll do something romantic?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think that it might be today." She smiled softly. "I…I want you to have this." She dropped his hand to reach into her bag, sliding out the diary.

He knit his eyebrows as he took it, "What is it?"

"Read it. You'll find out." Spencer sighed. "When you get back to Rosewood…read it for me. Because then…then, you'll know how I feel, even if what happens between us gets messed up again. Because, in all honesty, I have no idea what will happen tomorrow, or the next day, because, in Rosewood…nothing is solid. But that diary? Everything in there is true. I know that because…I made sure that I would write down everything in there that I knew to be true and real. I guess you could call it a story. A love story." She smiled.

Toby flipped through the pages quickly before peering back up at her. He reached for her and wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her softly. Spencer pressed her face into his shoulder, feeling the realness of him through his t-shirt, breathing him in.

When he finally pulled back, he put his hands on either side of her face, one still holding the journal. "Thank you." He said earnestly.

Spencer blinked to keep the tears from pooling in her eyes. "We're going to be okay." She nodded.

"I know." He grinned.

Spencer giggled softly and kissed him for a moment, memorizing the feel of him pressed against her. Sighing, she pulled back. "I gotta go. We're hitting the road really soon."

Toby nodded. "Can I drive you?"

Spencer grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that."

They strolled back to Toby's truck, their intertwined hands swinging between them. They took their time, patiently walking, until they reached it.

Spencer realized that no matter how scary things got with A, love would help her pull through. A didn't have the power to control her – just scare her. And it wasn't until Toby shed light on the subject that she truly saw the truth; she wasn't a puppet, or a pawn in A's brutal chess game. She was just cowardly enough to believe she was. And it wasn't until she met Toby that…she could truly realize what it meant to be _brave_.

Spencer saw that, in the whole scheme of things, it didn't matter how much pain high school was, or how long you knew someone for, or how scared you could be in the midst of chaos.

The only things that mattered were the little things.

Like black coffee with your sister in the mornings.

Like a road trip to a beachy town in South Carolina.

Like living each day to the fullest, with hope and, most importantly, with love.

And as Toby opened her door and she climbed inside, the birds began a soft cooing hymn, putting her thoughts to rest.

It was sweet, and sounded a bit like sorrow. It was a song of ups and downs, and highs and lows, and long, drawn out verses, and short-cut notes.

And it sounded like something real. It sounded a little bit like a love song.

* * *

><p><strong>wow. after all this time. damn. 23 chapters later, and i finally close to story of spencer and toby, and their tale in myrtle beach. i have so many people to thank. after the epilogue, expect an author's note ;)<strong>

**.spoby**

**AJ**


	25. Epilogue: With Love, Spencer

**EDIT: PLEASE NOTE THAT I WROTE THIS BEFORE THE SEASON 2 FINALE. THEREFORE, I DID NOT KNOW THAT MONA WAS A. PLEASE DONT LET THAT SOUR UR TASTE FOR MY STORY ;) JUST ENJOY IT LIKE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT MONA BEING A. THANKS! :) - AJ**

* * *

><p>Epilogue:<p>

"Slow down, Cath!" Beatriz Donnelley shouted to her big sister, her little legs hurrying to keep up as they scurried through the field of grass.

"Hurry up, Bea!" Cath shouted, looking over her shoulder for a second to peer at her sister. She stopped by a large oak tree and reached for the branch, beginning to hoist herself upward.

"Be careful girls!" Their mother, Mona Vanderwaal-Donnelley smiled at them from their picnic blanket further along the pasture. The Donnelley family had discovered this lovely stretch of grass and trees not too far from their summer home on Myrtle Beach. It was a lot filled with beautiful vegetation, just like the town Mona had grown up in.

"We will!" They girls shouted back as they once more reached for the tree.

Mona grinned back and returned to the novel she brought – _With Love, Spencer_ by a new bestselling author, Spencer Hastings-Cavanaugh. She had known the author well in high school, and Spencer had even helped Mona overcome a breakup with a serious boyfriend, but they had fallen out of touch after senior year. Last that she had heard of her, she had transferred to Hollis. After all these years, Mona could hardly even remember the sound of Spencer's voice.

Of course, things had turned out exceptionally well for Mona, too. She had graduated high school with a clean reputation. The words of support Spencer had given her, way back in junior year had really gotten to her. It made her believe that there was life outside boys and shopping. So, she went to college in Southern California, just like she had always dreamed, and went on to become a fashion designer. She met her husband, Richard Donnelley, at a fashion show – little did she know that he was the manager of a rival clothing line. Their Romeo and Juliet romance had been a challenge during the first two and a half years, but they had decided that love was more important than work, and combined their two companies to create Vanderwaal-Donnelley Designs. It had been a hit and Richard shortly after proposed, which led to a beautiful wedding in Oahu. Hanna Marin had been her maid of honor – still her best friend through all of the years. Following the wedding, Mona discovered that she was pregnant with a girl, whom she had named Catherine Hanna, and then three years later she gave birth to little Beatriz 'Bea' Elizabeth. She and Hanna had fallen out of touch as well, since she was no longer living in Rosewood, but she made a mental note to call her once they got back home to their house in San Diego. They had bought a summer home in Myrtle Beach and spent every July there since the birth of the children.

"Hey. There you are." Richard smiled, settling beside her on the blanket and kissing her cheek. "The girls look like they're having fun."

"They are. How was your conference call?"

"Fine. How are you doing?"

"Great. Really. There's something magical about this place, you know?"

Richard smiled and nodded. "I know what you mean. What do you have there?" He asked, gesturing to her book.

"Oh, just a great new book – it's a huge bestseller. I actually knew the author in high school. I always knew she would amount to something big. That girl made Einstein look stupid."

"Oh really? What makes this one so much better than the Nicholas Sparks books you love so much?" Richard teased.

"I don't know. I think I remember the guy she's writing about, though. It's been forever but I don't think I really trust him at the time but…it sure seems like she did. She disguised the name, but it's pretty obvious. And her new married name sounds all too familiar. I'll have to look her up when I get home. But the story is a collection of letters she wrote to him and the story of how they met and their journey together. It's really beautiful." Mona smiled, dog-earring the page. "Alright, let's get to work on that chicken salad – it's going to get mushy."

"Your wish is my command." Richard grinned and reached for the picnic basket.

"Hey! Look at this!" Cath trilled. Her little nine-year-old legs were wrapped around the trunk of the tree.

"What is it, Cath?" Bea asked. Her voice lisped due to the fact that she had just lost her first tooth – first one in her Kindergarten class to lose one, in fact, which she was very proud of.

"It's an engraving. It looks like two names." Cath traced the letters with her fingertips. They looked old, the moss growing around them, and the tree itself was worn away.

"Toby…and…Spencer." Bea read, coming around the side of the tree to read it.

"And look," Cath said, her fingers finding a much newer carving outlining the names. "It's a heart. And it looks newer."

"Maybe they forgot it and came back to make sure they put it there. How romantic!" Bea exclaimed with her gap-toothed smile.

"I bet that they had a complicated love – like Jasmine and Aladin!" Cath said wistfully. She was at the age of princesses and Jasmine was her favorite.

"I bet her parents wanted her to be with someone else!" Bea chimed in, going along with the story of the poor street-rat and the beautiful princess.

"But she loved him!" Cath continued with an enthusiastic grin.

"Oh, that's so romantic, Cath!" Bea gripped the low branch of the tree and pulled herself onto the dip of the branch. "We are going to write a story about them!"

"And I bet they ended up getting married, no matter what her parents said. I bet that they lived happily ever after." Cath sighed, a faraway look in her eye. "We are going to have love like that one day, Bea. We are going to meet a handsome prince and live in a beautiful palace. Well, a prince or a lawyer." She smiled to her sister as she sat in the grass, her back against the tree.

"What's a lawyer?" Bea asked.

"I don't really know. But Mommy says that I should marry one."

Bea giggled and grinned. She cocked her head to the side. "I hope I marry someone like the guy whose name is carved on the tree."

"Bea! Cath! Lunchtime!" Mona called to the two.

"Let's go!" Bea slid down from the tree and they both took off for the picnic blanket.

Mona handed her daughters plates full of fruit and PB&J. They smiled as they gleefully took the food and began to eat.

Mona took a sip of her iced tea before opening her book once more, this time to the dedication page out of pure curiosity.

"Hey, no reading during family lunch!" Richard teased, batting at the book.

Mona held it out of his reach. "I just want to see how Spencer ended up!" She smiled. She tried to call attention to the girl to tell them to chew with their mouths shut, but they were too engulfed in their conversation about princesses and mermaids to notice her voice. Mona smiled and rolled her eyes before turning back to her husband. "Wouldn't you be curious?" She asked.

"I guess so. Read it aloud. I want to hear."

"I'm just seeing if she dedicated it to anyone that I know."

"So read it anyway."

And so she did.

She read the words.

And they began with _Dear Toby._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Toby,<em>

_"That book in many's eyes doth share the glory_

_That in gold clasps locks in the golden story."_

_-Romeo and Juliet_

_I dedicate this book to you, for more than just the obvious reasons. You are not only love, my inspiration, my muse, and my partner for life, but you made me believe in the impossible: you made me believe in love. You made me see that love only has value if you are willing to fight for it. And so through every moment for the rest of our lives together, I will fight through the hardships, because with a past like ours, there will be many. But it's all okay as long as I get to have you be my side, as long as I get to keep you forever. I'm not much of a romantic, as you have probably gathered, but I hope that this book is the start of my journey of being a hopeless romantic. Every moment with you has been a dream come true, and I know that we will have many beautiful moments in the years to come. Thank you for being there for me always, even if it was only to beat me at Scrabble. I remember my hope that one day we would be remembered as the love that lasted through the sorrows. Now, we are._

_ With Love,_

_ Spencer_

* * *

><p><strong>so, here lies the end of a path of a romeo and juliet romance i have been walking on since late 2011. wow. sigh. thank you, everyone! (ps: expect the author's note next ch ;) )<strong>

**i always thought that darling mona should have a happy ending ;) wow. 15 years later, and spencer truly becomes a romantic ;) juliet would be so proud.**

**live. love. spoby.**

**-AJ**


	26. Author's Note

**Hello World,**

**It saddens me to write the final words and close the story of Toby and Spencer and their adventures in love and sorrow. I have so many people to thank for being on this wonderful journey with me.**

**First of all, I would like to thank my darling Spobettes – Jenn, Bree, Tiffy, Cassie, Elif, Olivia, and Jill –, for being with me through everything, and holding on tight with me during the SpobyCoaster, which can finally come to an end tomorrow. Thank you to Bree, for not only naming the SpobyBaby after me, but for giving me so much support. I owe you one, darling ;)**

**Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you to the people who read every single chapter and have something so sweet to say. You are all my inspiration and my loves. Thank you.**

**And thank you to Marlene King and the rest of the PLL writing board, who brought this wonderful couple into existence. You created beauty in the midst of the chaos. Thank you so very much.**

**Again, thank you to everyone.**

**I love you all to no end.**

**Live.**

**Love.**

**Spoby.**

**EDIT: PS: Oh my God. Wow. That finale. Wow. If I had known about Mona...lets just say the epilogue would have been diff...**

**-AJ**


End file.
